Broken
by PenguinCullen06
Summary: Bella is broken. Her mother's remarriage broke her spirit. Jacob Black, her best friend broke her hand. And Edward Cullen, the boy she loves broke her heart after he left her. But when Edward returns he discovers she's head over heels in love with Jacob and now he will do anything within his power to get his girl back - after all without the one you love, life isn't worth living...
1. Prologue – Book One – Bella

**A/n – Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does! **

**I've tried to make the prologue as twilightish as possible!**

_**This is instead of New Moon! :) So Edward hasn't left yet! :D**_

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******'We say we love flowers... Yet we pluck them. We say we love trees... Yet we cut them down. And people still wonder why some are afraid... When told they are loved' ~ **Unknown.

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******Book One ~ Bella**

**Prologue **

"I'm breaking up with you Bella", Edward's velvety voice causes the butterflies in my stomach to flutter about.

"What?" I manage to croak out one word.

The lump in my throat makes it almost impossible for me to speak.

"For your own safety", he replies.

I don't answer him.

_Don't cry Bella. Be strong. Don't cry. Don't cry. _

I repeat this to myself over and over again. Crying would just make me look weak and helpless.

As I attempt to hold back my tears, I stare up into his golden eyes. His perfect golden eyes I'll never see again. My favourite crooked smile, his bronze curls. All of these things will soon be just a distant memory.

A tear trickles out of my eyes and rolls down my cheek.

_Great. Just great Bella. _

His hand reaches up and wipes my tears away. His freezing body temperature causes a rush of shiver to tingle through my spine. Another thing I'll miss about him, the way he makes me feel.

"Goodbye Bella", he leans in closer to me and brushes his lips over my neck, reminding me that I'll never become one of _them._

A vampire.

Edward steps away from me.

"I love you, forever and always", he whispers.

And then he is gone.

As I stare longingly after him, anger bubbles up inside of me, my nostrils flare. How could he leave me, if he truly did love me?

He promised me that he would never leave me, but that had obviously been a lie. Not only has he broken my heart, but now he has broken his never ending list of empty promises to me.

I brush my hair back behind my ear using my fingers in an attempt to reassure myself and to help trap my emotions inside. If I return home with bloodshot eyes Charlie will be sure to question me, and right now, I don't feel like talking anymore. All I want to do is curl up and die. Without Edward, I'm empty . . .

About three things I am absolutely positive. First, Edward would never change me, even if he did return. Second, that there is a part of him – and I didn't know how large that part might be – that would always want me, no matter what. And third, I am unconditionally and irrevocably still in love with him.

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**A/n – Yes, I changed the real Twilight part I know it's actually - About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him-and I didn't know how potent that part might be-that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him. But I created my own version, so my story would be different to Stephanie Meyer's version! :) **

**Please read and review!**


	2. Chapter 1 – The Next Day

**A/n – Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does!**

**Thank you to all my reviewers, favouriters and followers so far! I'd like to list you all but there's too many! But you know who you are! You're all awesome! Yay! :D**

**Please read and review! :)**

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**Chapter One – The Next Day**

_No one is staring at you. _I promise myself. _No one is staring at you. No one is staring at you._

But, because I can't lie convincingly, even to myself, I have to check.

Cautiously, I peek through the small gap of my hair curtain, which shields me from my surroundings. People are staring at me. They have obviously heard about mine and Edwards's break up. In a small town like Forks, rumours travel fast.

I feel someone's arm brush across my waist and I look up only to find my so-called friend, Jessica Stanley grinning at me. Of course she's happy at the sign of my misery. She's that spiteful, that she only became friends with me to become more popular; but since that didn't work she's moved on to Lauren - the queen of spitefulness.

Like most of the other girls at Forks High School, Jessica has too been dreaming of this moment for months, only they are much better at hiding it. However, once she learned that Edward had left Forks, disappointment didn't even begin to describe her feelings at this point; it was the understatement of the century, but all the same she enjoys my suffering.

"We have Biology first", she says.

Forcing out a small, fake smile, I check my timetable just to be sure she isn't teasing me. My eyes hover over Monday. Biology. _Great. _My first lesson without Edward. Could this day get any better?

I push open the door and look over to where Edward used to sit. All the memories come flooding back. Our first proper conversation, his interest in my life and family history, his continuing battle to stop himself from biting me . . . It's all too much.

_I can't do this. I can't do this. _

_Pull yourself together Bella! You can do this! You're a woman, you can hold onto it forever! _

I sigh and think about the possible consequences of skipping a lesson. Detention. I contemplate about whether or not I should bunk, but before I'm about to go through with my plan, Jessica gives me a shove into the classroom. I tumble into a heap on the floor.

_Well done Bella. You know how to make an entrance._

My fellow students attempt to hold back a laugh, but I can see they're struggling with this.

"Seriously, Bella! You're so clumsy sometimes! Get over yourself! Edward's never coming back!" Jessica huffs and prances over to her laboratory bench next to Angela.

Her spiteful words firmly lock themselves up in my mind, and much to my displeasure they continue to repeat over and over again.

_Edward's never coming back. __E__dward's never coming back. __Edward's never coming back. Edward's never coming back. Edward's never coming back. Edward's never coming back. Edward's never coming back. Edward's never coming back._

Even though a part of me believes what she says is true, I refuse to listen to that part. Edward will come back. I know he will. He still loves me, so he will.

_Don't worry Bella; Edward will come back for you. _

Without Edward I am turning crazy. I am even talking to myself now. Edward will probably return to find I've been shipped off to a mental hospital. That wouldn't be a big surprise . . .

I pull myself up from the floor into a sitting position, only to find I was just a few centimetres away from falling into a mess of broken glass and red blood. I bring my hand up into view. The blood is mine. Looks like I hadn't completely missed the glass smithereens.

I growl to myself. Jessica had planned for me to fall into the glass. She had known it was there. She didn't know that if I bled it would remind me of Edward, of all the pain he went through just to be with me, but she knew that I had a phobia of blood.

Jessica likes my pain, especially now that Edward had left. She thought it was my fault and that I came between her and him. Apparently, she had been so close to getting Edward, until I came. But I knew that was a lie. Edward had been waiting for someone special. Someone special to fill the hole in his heart. And that someone had been me. Only now my hopes of a future with him are shattered.

I retrieve a tissue from my pocket and dab at my wound. It's very deep and it looks like it needs stitches. _Great._ Now if only Carlisle was here . . .

_Stop it Bella! Stop thinking about the Cullens! _

The voice is back again. Arguing with me. Telling me off. But the crazy thing is, is that I know it's right. I shouldn't be thinking about the Cullens. It just makes me think about . . . Him.

I refuse to say his name. It just makes everything worse.

The blood seeps through the tissue which is covering it. I take out another five and wrap them around my hand, securing it with a hairband. I know I should go to medical, but it will just bring back memories.

The memory of when Mike Newton first took me there, because in Biology I had fainted at the sight of blood. But then _my life_ came and carried me instead, since Mike was to weak to do so. Mike was so annoyed. I would be too in his situation, but of course he didn't know that _my saviour_ had super strength.

In fact, he's not the only one who is completely oblivious to the supernatural world around him. I'm surprised that nobody else has figured out the Cullen's secret yet. It doesn't really take a genius to guess. Super good looks, pale skin, never attending school when the sun is out; all these factors of a vampire and more are easy to spot. Even if someone didn't know of the vampire's existence, surely this would come across as unusual to them, and would intrigue them further into re-searching more?

Quietly, I laugh to myself about the stupidity of some of the students at Forks and look back down at my hand. The blood is now unable to leak through the thick barrier of tissues. I rise into a standing position and walk over to my laboratory bench. I block myself from looking at Edward's empty seat. I don't want to remind myself of him, as it will probably cause me to cry. I don't want to embarrass myself in front of my classmates again.

I slump down into my seat and take out my laboratory text book. The bags under my eyes start to feel heavy and the feeling of fatigue tries to force me to sleep. I haven't been sleeping much since Edward left. When I do I'm exposed to a world of nightmares which involve him. I blink a couple of times and ignore the temptations of falling asleep in class. I'd just end up thinking about Edward.

Edward.

His name sounds even perfect than usual.

I can't help myself. I twist my head round to where Edward _used_ to sit.

And then I see him. He's sitting there as normal. He smiles my favourite crooked smile and he takes my hand in his. But I don't feel anything. It feels like I'm touching nothing. Like he's a ghost. A visual image that my mind is creating because I miss him.

But, despite all of these warnings I choose to ignore them. I want to cherish this moment for as long as it lasts, because this might be the last chance I have to see him again. All that matters now is that he came back for me, like I hoped he would.

"Edward, I knew you love–," I'm cut off in the middle of my sentence as he brings his finger up to my lips to quieten me.

Again I feel nothing.

"Shhh . . . I'm here now, you don't need to say anything, love", he lowers his hand.

All the happiness I feel is then overthrown by the feeling of anger. What is the point of coming back? I know he will just leave me again. He will fill my heart with empty promises, and once again he will leave like what we have is nothing. I can't let this happen again; he needs to know my true feelings - even if this Edward isn't real, it will help me to get my feelings out into the open.

"How can you do this to me? You're just going to leave and–," he stops me again with his ghostly, pale finger.

Like the previous times, I still feel nothing when he touches me.

The blinds flutter in the gentle breeze and as it curves it makes a gap, so it no longer separates the classroom from the sun. A thin golden ray of light shines through the window and it rests along the side of Edward's face.

But, he doesn't glitter like he's supposed to.

"Edward, your skin, it's, it's", I stutter, unsure of everything.

"I know, love", he confirms.

"I don't understand, you should glitter, your sparkle's gone!" I'm stressing over un-sparkling skin.

_Wow Bella. What is wrong with you today?_

Then I remember my hand. The blood. An open wound. He'll attack me. That must be why he left. To protect me from situations like this. If he thought he couldn't control himself around me, then why did he lead me on the first place? He should have never made be believe that he would love me forever if he knew deep down inside that he didn't have enough control to be around me.

As I block out the rest of my waffling thoughts, I bring my hand up into view. The tissues are still there. I tear a part of the thick, soft barrier and reveal not the bloody wound I'm expecting to see, but just my healed hand. Frantically, I rip the remaining parts of the tissue off, only to discover my hand is perfectly fine.

That's when I realise it must be a dream.

Edward notices my confusion.

"Bella", he begins.

"Yes?" I ask sharply.

He flinches in pain at my blunt attitude, but what did he expect? Me to be begging at his feet for him to return? No, that isn't going to happen, even if this is a dream, where anything is possible.

"Can you do me a favour love?" he continues.

"Yes, anything for you", I promise him.

Despite everything he's done, I'm telling the truth. Of course I would do anything for Edward. I love him. I would give my life for him, just to protect him. But that would never be enough.

I'm human.

He's a vampire.

How could a weak, clumsy human like me, protect a born killing machine like Edward?

It's impossible. Completely and utterly impossible.

And that's another reason why he left me. No matter how many times he would reassure me, I knew I would never be enough for him. We are both too different from one another.

"Love, wake up, please", Edward says.

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My eyes flicker open. It was just a dream.

I look back at Edward's seat. He is gone again. He is yet another distant memory. A memory I would rather forget, since it's eating me up inside, and tearing my heart to pieces every time I think about him or hear his name.

"Attention class", the voice of my biology teacher Mr Banner, brings me back to reality, "Everyone take out your text books and read from page sixty-four to page one hundred and sixty four. I want that done by the end of class", Mr Banner orders.

I smile to myself, knowing that I'm already one step ahead.

"Jacob Black, the newest member of Forks High, will be joining our class today", Mr Banner adds.

My head flicks up. My blood turns to ice.

Jacob. My best friend.

Correction; My ex-best friend.

I haven't seen him in months. He certainly doesn't know about mine and Edward's break up, otherwise he would have come over to see me.

Mr Banner points over to where I'm sitting and Jacob's grin turns to a frown when he realises who he has to sit next to. I quickly return my gaze back to my book, so he doesn't notice I was staring at him. He plonks down into the seat next to me. Edward's seat. My Edward's seat.

This is going to be the longest and most awkward hour of my life.

"Hey, Bells", he forces out a fake smile, like I did for Jessica at the beginning of the lesson.

I don't move from my position; I'm scared of what I might say.

_Bells. _Hmm. He hasn't called me that in a long time.

I breathe in a gulp of air and build up the courage to talk to him. After all, what have I got to lose? I've lost everything already. Edward's gone, and now, nothing else matters.

I turn my head up to face him and he grins. He looks different. Very different. Well, for one, he has a shirt on this time. But he is also facially different. His hair is cut shorter and his shoulders are broader.

"Hey, Jake", I return the fake smile, "Why are you here?" I enquire absentmindedly.

His smile turns back to frown and I realise my question sounded incredibly rude.

"Well, nice to see you too", he notices the thin crease above my eyebrows, "I know you didn't mean that, I'm just kidding, sheesh", he chuckles.

The expression on my face remains as a frown.

"I moved schools, La Push High School is closing down and I transferred as soon as the word came out. The rest of the pack will be transferring soon," he hesitates, "So, where's that leech lover of yours?" he jokes.

I shoot him a death stare before I answer.

"We broke up", I brush a lose strand of hair back behind my ear and try to look like I don't care.

I do. Of course. I care a lot, but if I show I do, it will just cause an argument between us and that's the last thing I want to happen. The hardest thing about pretending though, is knowing that I care inside. A lot more than I should.

"Oh", he replies, trying to sound unpleased, when I know inside he feels like the happiest person alive.

"It doesn't mean anything though", I warn him, before he starts getting any ideas about _**us**_.

"You still love him, don't you?" he growls.

I nod slightly, hoping he won't notice. But how could I not love Edward? He _was_ my life and still _is_. Even though he's not here and he's left me, I can't help but still love him.

"Damn it Bella! How can you still love that leech! After all he has done to you! He doesn't deserve you!" Jacob angrily whispers to me, so only I can make out what he's saying, but Mr Banner still manages to hear a faint noise.

"Mr Black, detention, after school", Mr Banner shakes his head and I laugh quietly.

Jacob doesn't seem to be setting a good example at Forks High, he's only been here five minutes and he already has a detention. I turn away from Jacob and begin to read page sixty-four of the biology text book. I never knew Biology could be so boring. I check my watch.

_Damn._

Five minutes left and I still have to read 100 pages. Thanks to Edward messing me around in my dream and Jacob talking to me, I completely lost track of time. I guess I'll be joining Jacob in detention today.

"Bella", Jacob mumbles.

"Yes", I reply, trying to sound annoyed.

I am partly annoyed. He already has a detention and now he's trying to get me in trouble too, by talking to me. Didn't he get the hint? I don't want to talk to him. However, it's like I'm reliving the same moment I had just had with Edward in my dream, but with Jacob this time. Any moment now he would ask if I could do him a favour.

"I love you", he murmurs.

But he didn't. He said something completely unexpected. Something I thought nobody would ever say to me again apart from Edward. I can't think of anything to say back; it's difficult, very difficult to think of a response when someone has just admitted something like that to me. So, I take the safer option and I don't answer.

My palms begin to feel sweaty. Colour drains from my face. I feel myself becoming weaker.

"Bella? Bella!? What's wrong?" Jacob fires concerned questions at me, "Was it something I said?"

_Oh, nothing to worry about, just the fact you told me you loved me!_ I answer his question in my mind.

A large smile spreads across my face and then everything turns black.

I think I fainted.

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**A/n – Don't forget to review! **

**Thanks for reading! **


	3. Chapter 2 – A Broken Heart

**A/n – Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does!**

**Thank you to all of my reviewers! :D You are all amazing! :)**

**Also, since Bella fainted she couldn't remember that Jacob told her that he loved her before!**

**Bella doesn't know Jacob is a wolf YET . . .**

**This chapter is dedicated to – TwilightReaderFan65, because you have been so supportive of my stories and I absolutely love your story; The Forgotten Child – Twilight! For those of you who haven't read her story yet, please do and remember to review! It's amazing!**

**So on with my story . . .**

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**Chapter Two – A Broken Heart **

"Bella?" I voice calls my name.

A voice which is very similar to Edward's.

"Edward", I dreamily respond.

I hear an angry sounding grunt.

My eyelids flutter open and reveal Jacob leaning over me, not Edward.

I am stupid to fall for Edward's trap again. He obviously isn't coming back, but despite this, I still feel the need to tie myself up in the memories of him. Even though Jacob hates Edward, he too knows that I can't and most definitely won't stop loving Edward; no matter much he hurts me. Life just isn't worth living when he isn't here. Without him I am empty.

I sigh to myself.

I truly am a disgrace to feminism. I could just about manage to survive a day without Edward; even then I was struggling.

"The Doc stitched up your hand, he reckons you lost too much blood, which is what caused you to faint", Jacob's voice frees my brain of Edward's memories.

I am puzzled. I couldn't even remember what had happened before I fainted. Why is Jacob even here?

Then, a large smile appears on my face.

There is only one person Jacob calls Doc.

_Carlisle came back! He came back to rescue me! And if he's back, that means . . ._

"Jeez, Bells, come on, you and I both know that the only reason you smiled was because you thought Carlisle had come back", Jacob shakes his head, as if to say I'm wasting my time living life in the past.

A bright shade of crimson colours my pale cheeks. It was almost as if Jacob had read my mind.

_Damn. Am I really that transparent?_

Jacob sighs heavily.

I could see it in his eyes that my unhappiness is hurting him too. I know that he thinks he would never be enough for me, like I believe that with Edward. I guess in a way we are kind of similar.

"I better be getting home", Jacob begins.

"Don't go", I grasp his hand, but he breaks free and heads for the doorway, "At least let me come with you", I smile, properly, for the first time since Edward left.

"Fine", he gives in and entwines his fingers into mine, as he helps me up out of the hospital bed.

I look around the room, checking for any more visitors. But only Jacob came.

_Guess I know who I can really rely on now, huh? _

Charlie hadn't come either, but I'm not angry at him. He is a police officer, so he is constantly working and it's most likely he didn't even know about my fainting incident anyway. But it's better this way. I would prefer it if he didn't know, since he would probably make a big deal out of it by calling Renée and that is the last thing I want. I am a magnet to accidents, so fainting isn't exactly something out of the ordinary for me.

Jacob and I quickly exit my hospital room, not wanting to run into anyone we knew. As I step outside a gust of wind nearly knocks me off of my feet, but luckily Jacob has my back, as always.

It's raining, as usual, in Forks the weather is always terrible and we only receive a few rare sunny days throughout the year, but unfortunately today is not one of them.

Still holding my hand, Jacob leads me over to his motorbike, which is patiently waiting for our arrival in a muddy puddle.

"Great parking, Jake", I mutter sarcastically.

He just rolls his eyes playfully and a huge, cheesy grin spreads across his face, making him look much younger than he actually is.

I can't help but smile.

"Get on then", he orders, as he climbs onto the front part.

"No way, only if I'm driving", I argue back, with a smug look on my face.

Back when I used to live in Phoenix with Renée, she had insisted on Phil and I bonding through watching a baseball game; however I had had other ideas . . .

"Since when did you know how to ride a motorbike?" Jacob smirks.

"I have my sources . . ." I secretively answer.

Jacob stares back at me with a confused look on his face. There are a lot of things he doesn't know about me.

"Fine", he retreats, as he raises his arms in the air playfully.

I clamber onto the motorbike and Jacob hops on behind me. He wraps his arms tight around my waist and pulls me close to him. Too close, for my comfort.

"Err . . . Jake", I hint.

"Oh", he loosens his grip on my waist but doesn't move away.

He is still too close, but I decide not to object.

I start up the motorbike and wiggle out of Jacob's grip. I don't need to turn around and look at the expression on his face to know that he feels hurt.

I race out of the car park and out onto the open road. The rain wets my hair and the wind blows it back into Jacob's face behind me. I've just come out of hospital and I know the correct thing to do is to drive straight home. However, since I am already breaking a few rules by riding on a motorcycle, I decide to delay going home for a while.

I am going in the complete opposite direction to home.

I am going to a place where Edward had taken me, what seemed like a long time ago.

I am going to The Meadow.

Our Meadow.

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I park up outside the trail which would eventually lead us to The Meadow. I had previously been there several times with Edward, so I am confident that I could reach our destination with my eyes closed.

"So, you live in a forest now?" Jacob teases.

I frown at him, as I jump off of the motorbike and he mirrors my actions, letting it carelessly drop to the ground with a loud clang.

"Leave it here", I glance at the rusty old motorbike, "I don't think anyone would want to steal, _that_", I add, convinced of my statement.

I beckon Jacob to follow me on the trail through the forest. The autumn leaves fly above my head in the gentle breeze and the loose branches crackle under my shoes as I step over them. The tree tunnels shield me from the sky above – which no longer leaks rain and the mysterious atmosphere lures me in further.

Jacob slowly shuffles behind me like a lost sheep, with his hands in his pockets and his head hanging, facing the ground. By the unhappy expression on his face, it suggests that he knows I have been here before, with Edward. Nobody likes being second best.

I continue forward, eager to reach The Meadow.

_If you can just come here, without Edward and not cry, then you'll know that you're over him!_

The voice in my head sounds very convincing.

In front of me is the entrance to The Meadow; a mess of overgrown leaves tangled together with branches from trees which creates a curtain. I hold it open for Jacob to enter through and he sulkily takes my offer.

As I reach the edge of the pool of light, I step through the last fringe of ferns into the loveliest place I have ever seen. The Meadow is small, perfectly round and filled with wildflowers – violet, yellow and soft white. Somewhere nearby, I can hear the bubbling music of a stream. The sun is directly overhead filling the circle with a haze of buttery sunshine. I walk slowly, awestruck, through the soft grass, swaying flowers and warm, glided air.

I don't cry, like I thought I would. But instead I start to see ghostly figures of the past, wandering through the meadow. There are only two of them. A couple. A boy and a girl, holding hands. Then I realise who they are.

It's Edward and I.

I watch us admire The Meadow's beauty in delight and then we lie on the ground side by side, staring into each other's eyes. I can see the pain in his eyes of how challenging it was to tackle his thirst. How he had to struggle everyday just to be near me, just to last in the same room as me for less than an hour.

_What are you doing? You're thinking about him again! Stop it! You're here with someone else! Forget Edward!_

Then I remember Jacob.

I take a look to my left at him. He is no longer frowning. In fact, I think he has a bigger smile on his face than me, which shows that he didn't just witness what I did.

"Isn't it beautiful?" I question him.

"I guess so", Jacob shrugs, "But it's not as beautiful as you", he grins and bounds over to where I'm standing.

He lifts me up into the air and twirls me around, while I squeal in delight. Still holding me, he dances around The Meadow until he stops dead in the centre of it. As he loosens his grip on my waist, I slide through his arms back onto my own two feet, our faces becoming level with each other.

We stand there, for what seems like hours, locking gazes. I stare deep into his rich, chocolate brown eyes.

They say that your eyes are the windows to your soul. And by looking in Jacob's eyes, I find that statement to be true. His eyes tell a story. A story of a boy. A boy who never really fitted in with his friends, a boy that loved another. Another he knew he couldn't have . . .

Jacob's heavy breathing against my neck interrupts my interpretation of his eyes.

He's closer now. Leaning in further. I know what he's trying to do.

He's trying to kiss me.

A part of me wants to kiss him. But the other is telling me not to, or I'll be betraying Edward. It's a constant battle with my mind on making the correct decision about this.

Jacob's lips are inches away from mine. I can almost taste them.

_Stop it Bella! You are not going to kiss him! NO!_

_Just kiss him! You'll hurt his feelings! _

_No!_

_Yes!_

It's like the angel and the devil is telling me what to do, but even though I know the angel is correct, I decide to go with the devil's choice instead.

Before Jacob can kiss me, I fly backwards and land onto a blanket of flowers which cushion my fall. The feeling of disappointment overtakes all of his other emotions and he just stands there, not quite understanding why I pulled away at the last minute.

He shakes his head, removing his feelings of sorrow, not wanting to cause an argument between us and he lies down next to me. We stare up at the clouds which form shapes together.

"What shapes can you see?" Jacob asks.

I scan the clouds for some shapes.

_An apple, splotches of blood, Edward Cullen, a – Whoa! Stop it Bella! What are you doing?_

I blush. Every shape I see seems to be associated with vampires in some way. What's wrong with me?

"Err . . . A flower", I stutter, not wanting to mention any of the shapes I had actually seen.

Jacob chuckles.

"Well I can see a heart", he smiles and drags himself up into a sitting position.

Slowly, he takes his hand in mine and brings me up next to his side.

"Bella", Jacob begins, "I love you", he smiles embarrassingly, worried of what my reaction will be to his revelation of his feelings towards me.

My heart skips a beat. A tingling sensation fills my stomach.

Before Jacob can kiss me, I do it first. I knot my fingers up in his hair and lean in closer, desperate for his warmth. His warm body temperature begins to sting at my skin, but I ignore it and instead I push Jacob back onto the ground. All this kissing is starting to make me feel breathless.

I pull away. Just for a second. So I can catch a breath. But near the entrance of the meadow I catch a glimpse of someone standing there.

It's Edward.

He's watching us, with his deadly glare. His arms are crossed and he's shaking his head, which indicates to me that he disapproves of everything I'm doing right now.

But why should I care what he thinks anyway?

He left me so his opinion doesn't matter to me anymore. But I knew that's a lie. If I didn't care about his opinion, then why did I suddenly feel so guilty for kissing Jacob?

I increase the distance between Jacob and I.

"What's wrong Bells? You finally realised I'm a better kisser than you?" he jokes.

The expression on my face turns to a frown and Jacob quickly takes back his question.

"I'm joking, you're the best by far", he grins, "So, where were we?" he leans in, expecting me to accept his kiss, but I give him a slight shove away.

"Jacob, I'm sorry, I can't do this, I love you, but I'm not _in _love with you", I sigh.

I couldn't try to force the relationship we already had, into a boyfriend, girlfriend one. It just didn't feel right. Jacob is my rebound from Edward. He's just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I don't care, I'm in love with you and that's all the matters", Jacob starts to lean in again.

I feel a frown coming on, but I stop myself because I remember something. It takes forty-two muscles to frown, but only four to do something else.

_Finally, Science is useful for something! _

Without thinking my actions through properly, I extend my arm and punch Jacob right in the face. My knuckles crunch together when they touch his skin and pain floods through my hand.

"Ow!" I scream, "What is your skin made of!? Granite!?" I yell, as I tend to my injured hand.

"Teach you not to punch people!" he shouts back, hatred fills his voice, "Let me see it Bells", he examines my hand carefully, as his voice softens.

"It's broken", Jacob concludes, "What were you thinking, punching me?" he demands.

I contemplate about whether to lie to him, but I know it will only hurt him more. He knows me too well, so he would easily figure out whether I am lying or not. So I decide to tell him the truth.

"You, me, us, and whatever_ this_ is, it's not going to work. I'm still in love with Edward. I'm sorry", I say it like it is, but I can see that he loves me deeply like I love Edward.

We stay silent for a few moments. Jacob doesn't answer.

"Please, Jacob say something", I bring my hand up to rub his shoulder, but he just shrugs it off.

He stands up and turns his back to me. Before leaving the meadow he takes one last look at me.

"You broke my heart Bella", he looks like he is about to burst into tears.

_If looks could kill . . ._

"Well you broke my hand!" I respond unsympathetically.

His eyes widen. Steam looks like it's bursting out of his ears. He's angry; really angry. Angry at me.

Angry at me for leading him on. Making him believe that there was a future for us, when we both knew full well that I still loved Edward with all my heart and nothing could change that.

Jacob begins to grow larger. Russet coloured fur begins grow over his skin and his clothes start to shred. He shoots up into the air and returns to the ground onto four legs.

I'm frozen in my place. I can't believe what I have just seen. Jacob, phase into a wolf.

I know I shouldn't have said what I said. But I didn't know it would set him off. I didn't know it would make him angry and I certainly had no clue whatsoever that Jacob, my best friend that I thought I knew so well, is a wolf.

I exchange glances with what's before me. A giant, bear sized wolf, covered in a thick layer of russet coloured fur, with rich, chocolate brown eyes.

I should be scared. That would be the normal thing to be feeling. But I don't. I feel excited. Excited that I got to witness something as extraordinary as this.

But I also feel crazy. My mind keeps playing tricks on me. Making it look like Edward is watching me all the time. So maybe this is isn't real. What I'm seeing now. I pinch myself just to check this isn't all a dream.

_Damn, that hurt! _

If I'm not dreaming then, this is real. There's only one way to check if my theory is correct . . .

Bit by bit, I edge closer and closer to _Jacob_. I extend my healthy hand out to stroke him and unexpectedly he leaps into the air, with his claws extended.

I look up and into his eyes. They are no longer brown. They are red like fire. I shield my face and broken hand protectively, because I know this is the end. I know that as soon as he lands back onto the ground he will lose control.

My best friend. Someone I thought I knew everything about, is going to end my life.

My mother's remarriage broke my spirit.

Edward Cullen, the boy I love, broke my heart.

Jacob Black, my best friend, broke my hand, and now, on top everything else, he's going to kill me too.

_Wow. What a great life I have. _

* * *

**A/n – Cliff hanger! Sorry everyone I just had to put it there! :) **

**I got a bit of help for the meadow description from Stephanie Meyer herself in her first Twilight book on page 259! Check it out! :)**

**Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! **


	4. Chapter 3 – Familiar Faces

**A/n – Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does! **

**Thanks to all my reviewers! I'm so sorry I left it on a cliff hanger, but if I didn't have cliff hangers nobody would want to read more! **

**Shout out to GoldfishCullen2000! (Because you wanted one!) Please read and review her stories! **

**Big thanks to Asper Whitlock because without your profile I wouldn't have been able to finish this chapter! :) (Note to Asper Whitlock – You probably don't have a clue what I'm talking about, but on your profile I used The Suffering Story to think of how Victoria is feeling) Thanks again! **

**Also, in response to my guest reviewer – I know I'm evil! There will be plenty more cliff hangers! :D**

**Here's what you have all been waiting for! **

* * *

**Chapter Three – Familiar Faces**

I take one last breath. One last look at the meadow. One last look at the two vampires racing towards me.

_Whoa, wait, what? What did I just see? Vampires?_

I have to do a double take, not quite sure of what I have seen. There really are vampires. Unless of course they are another figment of my overly active imagination.

I hold my breath. I close my eyes. And hug myself. I wait for the agonizing pain of being ripped to shreds to come. But nothing happens.

I look up only to find that Jacob has leapt over me.

I twist around sharpish. He's gone. I'm alone. In The Meadow. Unprotected. _Great. _

_Well, Bella, what's the worst that can happen?_

_You get drained of all blood by the vampires coming for you, they–_

_Stop right there! Calm it Bella! You're going to be fine! Just fine!_

I take in a large gulp of air. I keep breathing heavily, in and out, in and out.

Something cold grabs my shoulders.

"Edward?" I gasp.

The _something_ turns me around, using much more force than is needed.

But it's not Edward I see.

I see another vampire.

A girl.

A girl with long, ginger hair.

A girl who I know, very well.

A girl who seeks revenge.

Victoria.

"Victoria?" I croak uneasily, still trying to get over the fact that I'm alone in The Meadow with a vampire who would stop at nothing to kill me.

"Did you think that I wouldn't find you?" she begins, "Did you think that your vampire boyfriend would protect you forever?" she questions, but I don't answer, afraid of what I might let myself say, because the last thing I want to do is make a vampire, who could drain me in seconds, angry.

"Where is your vampire now?" she circles around me, staring at me, just waiting for me to attempt to run so she can sink her teeth into my flesh.

I had already experienced that before with James and the pain had been excruciating, so I wasn't really looking forward to it the second time round.

I follow the moon-shaped scar on my broken left hand where James bit me. It feels cold, freezing cold. A mix of dry blood and black soot outlines the bite mark. Both are bold, evil colours, which are usually associated with the dark side. Vampires.

"Aren't you going to try and scream for your boyfriend?" Victoria smirks.

"We broke up", I whisper, as I pull back a strand of hair over my ear.

"Say it louder", she orders.

I know she's only doing this to make me suffer, like she did when she lost her mate James who was killed by Edward and the rest of the Cullens.

"We broke up!" I scream, but I don't stop there, I continue, "He left me! He said it was for my own safety, but I would rather die than live without him! He's gone!" I brush my fingers through my hair in a relaxing way, trying to calm myself down so I don't cry.

"You and I are similar, in a way", she's still circling me, her eyes black with hunger, "We've both lost someone we love", I look of sadness shines in her eyes, for just a fraction of a second, nothing more, but then it turns back to hatred, "Shame I have to kill you", she studies her nails for a moment.

"You don't have to", she glares at me evilly, "We both want the same thing, revenge on the Cullens", I hesitate for a moment, "And I can help you with that", Victoria considers my offer for a few seconds.

I'm lying. Of course. I don't want revenge on the Cullens. I want the complete opposite of that. I just want to see them again. I want them back. I miss them all, even Rosalie, who is probably glad Edward finished with me. But I know that won't happen again.

I'm only trying to buy myself some time, before she kills me. So I can try and think of a plan to escape death. Only, I'm having no luck.

I can't run. She has super speed.

I can't try and fight her off. She has super strength.

I can't scream. There's no point, because nobody else can hear me, apart from Victoria.

"Fine, I won't kill you", an wicked smile slips onto her face, "Not yet, anyway", she adds.

Victoria dashes towards me and clasps her frozen hand around my neck, lifting me high into the air.

"I–I–ca–n't–bre–ath–e", I splutter, not able to form my words properly.

Her smile turns to a frown as she studies me, trying to find a hint of innocence in my eyes. A bit of innocence which proves I didn't have anything to do with James' death and that it was all down to the Cullens.

But I know that it was all my fault. If I hadn't had moved in with Charlie, from Phoenix, I never would have met Edward and put myself in danger. I never would have fallen for James' trap and I never would have gotten the bite mark on my wrist.

I shudder at these memories. Memories I'd rather forget.

She releases me from her clutches and my weak body drops into the patch of flowers below, crushing them all together. My face is pale white, drained of all colour and my heart begins to beat rapidly, desperately trying to refill my body with the much needed oxygen it was unable to previously take in because of Victoria.

Using my unbroken right hand, I stroke my neck, attempting to remove the red marks Victoria's nails indented on my skin, but with no luck. I bring my hand up into view. It's covered in blood. My blood. My blood from the mark Victoria created.

Her nose points up into the air.

"Blood", she says one simple word, which seems much scarier than it actually is when coming out of a vampire's mouth.

Venom starts to build up inside of her mouth. I can see by the look on her face that she's struggling not to kill me right now. She has the same expression on her face Edward used to have when he was around me – hunger. I can almost feel the pain she is going through; the constant fire burning in her throat, the venom circulating her mouth ready to inject it into my blood stream and her body craving my sweet blood.

It seems like she hasn't fed for weeks.

I fumble anxiously around in my pocket for a tissue and I press it tight against the flowing blood. I know I can't let Victoria taste any of my blood, unless of course I want to end my life.

"Victoria", I begin, my voice low in a calming way, "You can control yourself, you aren't thirsty", I lie, but not convincingly enough.

She's at my side in an instant, her eyes empty and black with hunger.

Venom drips out of her mouth and onto a ladybird below. At immediate contact the ladybird shrivels up and dies.

_That could be you, Bella._

_Great. Thinking positive are we?_

She lunges for my throat and I leap to the right, crushing a patch of flowers in the process. Victoria's head smashes down onto the ground and her teeth get stuck in the earth. While Victoria is distracted I run back into the forest as fast as my legs can carry me and stop to rest on a tree.

I breathe heavily.

_Well done Bella you managed to escape death for the second time today! Only seven lives to go!_

I pivot on my foot and come face to face with Victoria again. She's angry, really angry and not to mention hungry.

I begin to think about Edward. I want him to be the last thought in my mind before I die. I know I should be more positive but there is no way I'm going to escape death now. All my lives are up.

She leans in closer to me. Her lips press across my neck, edging closer and closer to the blood. I clamp my eyes shut, not wanting to witness any of the following actions which were about to take place, since I had already seen it before. Once was definitely enough.

"Goodbye, Bella", she snarls, as her lips open wide revealing a set of pearl white teeth.

I can feel them about to plunge deep into my neck.

A large wolf howl echoes through the forest, causing Victoria's head to flick up, interrupting the beginning of her feast.

A name comes to me instantly. Jacob.

Victoria springs up into the tree above as Jacob in wolf form prowls through the curtain of ferns, nearly ripping it to shreds. I study him for a moment. He isn't injured severely. But then I notice the deep gash on his back leg.

"Jacob?" I race over to him and I examine his injury.

The blood is still seeping out of it, so I reach forward to dab it with a tissue, but he backs away, back into the meadow. I follow him, not wanting to be left alone with Victoria again, whose scent has mysteriously managed to go unnoticed by Jacob.

The smell of burning hits my nose in an instant, as I push past the overgrown curtain. I look over to where Jacob is sitting. He is next to a bonfire and the flames are roaring up high into the sky. The bright orange flames juxtapose the calm, pale meadow, indicating that it's not supposed to be here.

I edge closer to it. As I approach it I get a better view of what's burning inside. There is a pile of wood chunks and slumped over it is a dark figure. I circle around it, so I can take a glance at the person's head. But when I have fully rotated I find that the head isn't there. The person is headless.

I observe the body more closely, only to find that there is not only a head missing, but there is also no blood on the body. That can only mean one thing. It's a vampire.

Jacob nuzzles my hand and drops something down onto my feet. I bend down and turn it over, only to discover it's someone's head. Instead of darting out of the meadow screaming, I lean further, so I am able to have a go at figuring out the identity of this anonymous person.

The vampire's eyes are nearly pitch black, like Victoria's and his braided hair which matches the colour of his eyes, drapes over his dark skin.

Colour drains from my face as the realization of who the head belongs to sinks in.

It's Laurent.

He is one of the two vampires I saw heading towards me, before Jacob leapt over me. He was the reason why Jacob had left me alone in The Meadow. Jacob had been trying to protect me from Laurent, only he hadn't realised that Laurent hadn't come unaccompanied.

Jacob grabs the head in his mouth and throws it onto the fire. It reunites with the rest of its body and begins to burn slowly. That is the only way we could ensure that Laurent wouldn't come back.

In an attempt to make me feel better, Jacob nuzzles my hand. I flinch in pain and he backs off, realising that he touched my broken hand. He whimpers slightly and a look of hurt flashes through his eyes. I step forward, my heart pounding against my chest and I stroke his head, as his tongue hangs out happily.

I stand there, for what seems like hours petting Jacob. All my worries and doubts seem to go away somehow.

The rustle of twigs and leaves in the tree a few metres away cause all my worries to come flooding back. Victoria must be coming impatient now, but at least my neck has stopped bleeding, for now.

The same question repeats in my head.

_Why hasn't she attacked me yet?_

Then the answer hits me. She is afraid. Afraid of Jacob. But what I can't understand is why a born killing machine would be afraid of a wolf that she could kill in seconds with her venom.

I gaze into Jacob's eyes. There is a look of protection and love in them. Victoria and I both know that he would do anything to ensure my safety, even if meant killing himself to do so. That's why she must be frightened of him, because she knows she can't get to me now without going through Jacob first.

Jacob's ears prick up and he lunges forward to Victoria's hiding place. His loud growls boom through the forest, frightening all animals within its hearing range. Victoria lands gracefully onto the ground, ready to face her fears, knowing full well she has advantages over Jacob, giving her a high chance of winning in order to claim her prize.

_Me._

Jacob opens his mouth wider, revealing a set of razors which were eager to sink into its enemy's neck and a floppy pink tongue. Victoria stares deep into her competitor's eyes and makes the first move. She leaps onto his back, pinning him down onto the ground and bares her teeth, ready to drain him dry.

He struggles under her firm grip and seconds before she is about to inject her venom into him, he kicks his front legs up causing Victoria to smash into an innocent tree, which is unluckily in the wrong place at the wrong time. The force is so strong; the tree plummets to the ground, uprooting itself in the process.

The tree is dead. I knew this is a sign telling me that Jacob would be joining the tree soon if I didn't do something drastic to help him.

I rattle my brain for a solution, but I discover nothing that will be of any assistance to Jacob. I know I need to act soon; otherwise this will be the end of Jacob and I, but there's nothing I can do which will distract Victoria long enough to give Jacob time to attack her by surprise.

That's when the answer comes to me.

The only thing that will distract a hungry vampire is blood.

I know what I have to do in order to save Jacob.

I gradually crawl over to the bush which sits behind me. Victoria and Jacob are too busy fighting to notice my movement. I rummage through the earth, trapping dirt up my finger nails, but I decide I don't care anymore, where I'm going nothing else will matter.

I'm looking for a sharp object. Something that will pierce into my flesh. Something that will create a wound deep enough to cause my precious blood to flow out. I continue to dig through the earth, until I find some pieces of glass. I don't know why they're here, but that's beside the point, I live in a world of vampires and werewolves, anything is possible as far as I'm concerned.

I rise into a standing position, with my fingers clasped around the sharpest piece of glass and my body trembling at the thought of leaving this earth. I've never given much thought to how I would die — though I've had reason enough in the last few months — but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.

I stare without breathing, at Jacob, for the last time. Surely it's a good way to die, in the place of someone else, someone I loved. Noble, even. That ought to count for something.

"Victoria!" I yell, as her head sharply turns to face me, interrupting her fight with Jacob.

I smile at Jacob and he twists his head in confusion. I bring the glass into view and before Jacob can object to my actions, I plunge the sharp end into my chest. The pain is excruciating, but I attempt to block it out.

I release my weapon from my body and I watch as the blood pours out onto the ground, circling me like a river. Victoria is by my side, lapping up every last drop of blood, but I know she will be dead soon.

I close my eyes and wait for the pain to stop. I know that soon I'll be in a world where there will be no pain anymore, just love.

The thought of Jacob telling Charlie of my death pops into my mind. It will break his heart. The news that his only daughter is dead. But what about Edward too? Surely he will find out and never forgive himself for leaving me.

And then I think of Jacob. The person I did this for. The person I truly love.

_Whoa! What did I just say?_

_I love Jacob Black! I love Jacob Black! I love Jacob Black! I love Jacob Black!_

I repeat this to myself over and over in my mind. It seems to be comforting me.

The truth behind why I stabbed myself comes to me.

I stabbed myself because of him. To save Jacob. All because I love him.

All along I have been denying the truth of how I really feel. All the time when I thought I was in love with Edward, I was in love with Jacob instead. Edward had just been in the right place at the right time. He had been there to fill the gap in my heart. A gap that now can only be filled by Jacob.

But now, Jacob will never know the truth. . .

* * *

**A/n – Cliff hanger again! Sorry! :)**

**This is not the end! There is plenty more to come! **

**Hope you enjoyed and please review! **

**~ Penguin :P**


	5. Chapter 4 – The Truth

**A/n - Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does! :D**

**Hey to all of my loyal readers, I made a forum called: 'Twilight Competitions! :)' and I would really appreciate it if you would check it out! Please try and enter the first competition! :) Thanks! :)**

**Also, please could someone make me a cover for this story (Broken) I know how to make my own, but I literally have no idea as to what it should look like! Please someone help me! I'm literally begging! :)**

**Just to remind everyone - Bella is not dead! :D**

**And now onto the story . . . :)**

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**Chapter Four – The Truth**

"Stop!" I yell, causing Edward to glare at me and Jacob to turn his furry head in confusion, both wondering the same thing of why I would stop them in mid-battle.

They are fighting over me. Again.

Edward has returned to Forks and he's now planning to do anything within his power to get me back, since he now knows I have feelings for the 'wet dog now' – in his words, not mine.

Standing in front of me protectively, is Jacob, in wolf form, who is bearing his teeth angrily at his deadly enemy; Edward. There is no way Edward is going to get to me, without having to go through Jacob first.

I hate what both of them are doing. Fighting over me. I'm clearly not worth the trouble. But this is another thing I will never understand about them.

This is all a game to them. A way of proving who the bigger man is. I, however, am just caught in the middle of everything. I'm what they get if they win. Their 'prize' would be a suitable word to describe what role I play in this situation. I'm really nothing more than that.

Edward edges closer to me, but Jacob prevents him from coming any closer for my own safety. I raise my hand in the air to signalise to Jacob that it's ok, and for some reason, it doesn't hurt. I rotate my hand around, only to find it's not broken anymore. Curiously, I lift up part of my shirt and find there is no mark from where I stabbed myself.

_No! Don't worry about it! Edward's back!_

"Just give me a minute with her, dog", he growls, interrupting my thoughts, as fire flashes through his eyes.

Jacob looks up at me for my approval and I nod at him. I should at least hear what Edward has to say, it won't do me any harm. A few minutes won't hurt anyone.

I shouldn't really be saying that though, he's a vampire, one of the most dangerous mythical creatures on the planet; a born killing machine as Edward calls himself. But I don't have anything to lose, so I would rather take the risk.

Reluctantly, Jacob shuffles out of Edward's way, so he can come past.

"What do you want, Edward?" I try to sound angry, but I can see that I'm fooling nobody.

I'm over–the–moon that Edward came back for me again. But I don't want to show my emotions. After all, my love for Edward has always been fake; I love Jacob now, but it's nice to know he still has a place for me in his heart somewhere.

At times like this I'm glad he can't read my mind.

"You", he smiles my favourite crooked smile – one of the things I have deeply missed about him since his departure.

_What are you doing Bella!?_

Edward is trying to dazzle me.

"You're doing it again!" I groan at him, but all the same, a smile still manages to slowly slip onto my face.

"What?" Edward asks, attempting to act confused, when we both know what I'm going to say next.

"Dazzling me", I smile embarrassingly at him, as my pale cheeks flush a bright shade of crimson.

"Oh", he says softly, as his bronze curls begin to blow in the gentle autumn breeze.

Edward steps closer to me and takes my hand in his. In an instant we are back in The Meadow again – sitting on a cushion of flowers and staring at each other.

He leans in closer to me.

_No! Don't do it Bella! Stop it! Why aren't you listening to me!?_

I frantically scream to myself in my mind, but I shut out all the warnings. Even though I love Jacob, even if I try I know I can't resist the charm of Edward. Everything about him invites me in. His voice, his face, even his smell.

I pucker my lips, ready to kiss him, but he swerves around them and presses his lips against my neck. He bares his teeth and sinks them deep into my flesh.

I pull away instantly, but it's too late. I feel the venom enter my blood stream and then it starts.

The fire.

It burns in my neck and I know from experience it means I'm changing into a vampire. The pain is excruciating and my attempts at blocking it out don't seem to be working for me.

I scream, but all that leaves my cracked lips is a croak.

"What's wrong Bella? I thought you wanted this?" Edward looks at me, with a concerned expression on his face.

"I don't want this anymore! I want Jacob!" I scream at him, as the pain begins to spread from my neck to the rest of my body.

My eyes clamp shut.

My body stops moving.

My heart stops beating.

My blood stops flowing.

And then, everything turns red.

* * *

The steady beeping of a heart monitor wakes me from my sleep. It was just a dream, or should I say, a nightmare. I breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Edward had been right all along. I never wanted to be a vampire, no matter how many times I reassured Edward that I was born to be one. All I want now is a normal human life with Jacob.

I open my eyes, revealing Jacob perched on the edge of my hospital bed, whilst my parents are resting on a bench at the back of the room. There's no sign of Edward. But what was I expecting? Him to magically reappear? I am in love with Jacob now, Edward doesn't matter anymore.

I stare at Jacob for a moment. He's still sleeping so he doesn't realise I've woken up yet. He's not injured anymore. The deep cut which was on his leg before has magically vanished. Maybe he's a fast healer like vampires are.

The same question still buzzes around in my head. Are there more like Jacob?

I still couldn't get over the fact that not only are there vampires in the world, but also wolfs too, and that I have lived oblivious to all of this, until now.

I force my weak body into a sitting position and my sudden movement startles Jacob, causing him to wake from his deep sleep.

"Bella!" a huge grin appears across his face and he pulls me into a tight embrace.

"Ouch, Jake", I flinch and begin to inspect the source of my pain.

I fold up my top, just a bit above my waist and scan the side of my stomach. There is a long, thin scar which curves around my body. I follow the outline of the scar – a mess dry blood and black stitches – that were used to close up my deep wound.

I shudder and Jacob wraps his arms around me comfortingly. I lean back onto him. I feel safe. Safer than I've ever felt in my whole life. I wish I could pause this moment and stay like this forever, but I know I can't.

Jacob releases me and all I want to do is squeeze him back tighter, but I don't know what he would say or do.

"Is your hand ok too?" he asks worriedly.

Jacob's words remind me of my broken hand. I bring it up into view only to find it wrapped it a small hand cast. How couldn't I have noticed that? It's probably down to the fact that I have bigger worries than my hand; I have a giant stitched up scar on my stomach - that's what my mind is focusing on at the moment.

"We think you fractured it, your parents and I do, so the hospital gave you a cast. It should be healed over the next two weeks", he pauses for a moment, "Now we're on the topic of your parents, I'll leave you to speak with them, they must be worried sick", Jacob pecks me on the cheek and I smile gratefully at him – he is always there when I need him most.

Renée gives Charlie _'The Look'_ and he grunts heavily before leaving the room. She obviously wants some alone time with me to talk about my new relationship.

"So, Mom, what you doing here?" I try to act casual, like the injury I have is no big deal, but it doesn't seem to be working.

I can't fool Renée, not matter how convincing I seem. It's impossible to hide anything from her, especially for me. I'm transparent; she can read me like a book.

"Don't even try it", she smiles, "Seriously sweetie, first you fall down two flights of stairs, then out a window, and now you've crashed a motorbike", she sighs.

I stare blankly back at her. Crashed a motorbike? What is she talking about?

Then it clicks. That's the excuse Jacob must have created for my injuries. There is no way we could tell them what had actually happened, otherwise that would mean putting my parents' lives at risk with the Volturi.

"You're lucky Jacob was there, you could have died, oh sweetie", Renée starts to sob and hugs me tightly.

I hug her back and begin to cry with her. I can't help it. Every time she cries, it makes me cry too. I can't bear to see her in pain.

She pulls away from me slightly and studies the expression on my face.

"What were you thinking? Riding a motorbike, are you crazy?" she scolds me, but I know she's only doing it out of love.

I don't answer, afraid of what I might say, since I don't really know what happened. Jacob didn't even think to explain it to me beforehand.

Renée doesn't wait very long for me to answer. I think she knows deep down that this isn't the truth, but she doesn't want to cause a scene.

"Sweetie, is there something you'd like to tell me", she hesitates and thinks for a moment about how to word her next sentence.

I know she's going to ask me about Edward next. I can see it in her eyes. But I can see she's struggling to find the right words to use, since she's dealing with a sensitive subject.

"About, Edward", Renée nudges me.

I decide not to drag it out anymore, I might as well tell her.

"He left, Mom", I breathe in deeply, to try and stop myself from crying again.

I'm afraid that if I break down in front of her, I'll end up telling her everything – the truth behind my previous injuries and the existence of vampires as well as werewolves. I can't tell her. I won't. I'll end up putting her in danger and that's the last thing I want to happen.

"Oh sweetie, you should have told me before, I would have come down here as soon as possible, come here", she leans in for another hug and I accept it.

The creak of the hospital door interrupts our hug, as Charlie and Jacob poke their heads around the door. They are checking up on us, since we had spent a long time talking, but they can see that we aren't finished. Renée gives Charlie _'The Look'_ again and he drags Jacob back to the waiting chairs in the main part of the hospital.

"I think that boy is in love with you", Renée tells me.

That was the exact same thing she had told me last time I was in hospital, only it had been about Edward before.

"Wait, you're not in love with him too, are you?" she's looking at me seriously now, trying to search for the answer through the expression on my face.

I try to show no emotion on my face, but I can see she's already figured out the answer – as I said before, Renée can read me like a book.

"You are!" Renée exclaims and a huge smile appears on her face, as my cheeks turn red with embarrassment, "So why the sudden change? One minute you're in love with Edward, and now you're in love with Jacob", she asks.

I knew she wouldn't stop with the questions after she found out that I was in love with Jacob. She isn't that sort of person; she is someone who has to know the ins and outs of everything.

I hesitate before answering her question.

"It's complicated", I brush my hair behind my ears and out of my eyes using my fingers.

"I understand", she taps me on the shoulder lightly and smiles.

She's finished with the questions, for now anyway. I'm glad they're over, so now I don't have to worry about spilling any information about what Jacob and Edward_ actually_ are.

Renée stands back up, as if to notify Charlie in some way, that we had finished and he could come back into my hospital room.

"I would stay sweetie, but my flight's due to leave in an hour", she explains, as Charlie pushes open the door and lets Jacob through first.

Charlie rests on the side of my bed and gives me a hug.

"I'm glad you're alright, Bells", he ends our short hug and wipes his eyes quickly.

It looks like he's about to cry.

_Look what you have done Bella! You've made him cry! _

"I need someone to drive me to the airport", Renée hints to Charlie and he follows her silently out of the room, "These two need some alone time", she winks at me, as Charlie shoots her a confused look.

Knowing Renée she'll tell him everything on the way to the airport. _Great._

"Jacob there's something I need to–", I begin.

"No, wait, look, I should have told you what I am. I'm sorry. Thanks for saving me and everything, but promise me you'll never do that again. You could have died Bella!" Jacob interrupts me, but I can see that he's glad he got everything off of his chest, "And you were saying . . ." he reminds me.

"I don't know how to say this but, but, I think I'm, in love with you", I admit to him.

We stay silent for a moment.

Worried thoughts rush through my head.

_What if he doesn't like me anymore?_

_He doesn't want me!_

_He thinks I'm lying!_

_What if he thinks I still love Edward?_

"Why do you look so worried Bells?" Jacob grins, obviously pleased that I have finally told him my _true_ feelings.

I don't answer, afraid I might tell him what I have been thinking. I don't want to ruin the moment – not when I've managed get this far.

"You know I still love you too, don't you?" I feel a sigh of relief coming on, it's almost as if he had read my mind and was reassuring me that he would always love me.

"I know, Jake", I tell him, in order to break the awkward silence between us.

He leans in closer to me, but he's going too slowly for my liking. I don't want to wait any longer so I cup my hands around his cheeks and press my lips against his. A warm tingling feeling spreads through my body.

I could have sworn my heart monitor went flat for a second when we touched . . .

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**A/n – Hoped you liked it and please review! **

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**Thanks! **


	6. Chapter 5 – Back To School

**A/n – Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does!**

**Sorry I haven't updated in ages! I'm sooooo sorry! But to make up for it in the holidays I'm going story-crazy and I will try and upload a chapter once every two days! – So that means at least 3 or 4 chapters per week!**

**I haven't abandoned this story! I could never do that to all my dedicated readers out there!**

**Also, thank you so much to Don'tCallMeLeeLee for designing me an AMAZING cover! Please check it out because it's awesome! To see it much clearer (it shows up quite small on here) find me on Photobucket - my name is; PenguinsAreEpic06**

**Love you all! ;) **

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**Chapter Five - Back To School**

"Don't be nervous Bells, I can practically feel your heart racing", Jacob chuckles.

Of course he's acting fine. He doesn't know the real power of rumours at Forks High – when Edward and I broke up, the whole school knew in seconds – I dread to think about who knows that Jacob and I are together.

The whole of Forks probably know by now. And I already know the culprit behind spreading them.

Jessica.

"So you're like going out now?"

"What about Edward?"

"You didn't waste your time".

As soon as I walk through the door I'm hit with thousands of questions and rude remarks. I try to tune them out, but they're too loud. They truly are spiteful. All of them. They know how to hurt me. Just by mentioning Edward's name my heart stifles with pain.

I look up at Jacob with my eyes red and blotchy with tears. His arm is wrapped around me protectively; he's the only reason I've been able to survive these past few weeks.

The voices keep haunting me and all I want is for them to stop, but I know they won't. They won't give in until I crack.

"Be quiet!" I scream, "All of you! Just leave me alone!" I yell as a waterfall of tears flow out of my eyes and roll down my cheeks, "Please".

Everyone is staring at me now. I don't like it. But what did I expect? I just screamed at everyone, so of course I was going to draw attention to myself, even though that's the last thing I want. I hate being the centre of attention; just as much as Jacob hates Edward . . .

Their wandering eyes penetrate deep inside of me – trying to discover the reason behind my outburst. It's making me feel uncomfortable. I don't like it. I can't take it anymore.

Just as the bell rings for first period, I shove my way through the crowd and race into the girl's toilets. I lock myself inside and slide to the floor. Silently, I pray that nobody will notice my absence and that Jacob won't follow me.

"Bella?" Jacob calls worriedly from outside the toilets.

I don't answer and try to control my breathing. Jacob would probably be able to smell me out anyway; with him being a wolf.

Whoa? What did I just say!?

_Jacob begins to grow larger. Russet coloured fur begins grow over his skin and his clothes start to shred. He shoots up into the air and returns to the ground onto four legs._

_I'm frozen in my place. I can't believe what I have just seen. Jacob, phase into a wolf._

_I know I shouldn't have said what I said. But I didn't know it would set him off. I didn't know it would make him angry and I certainly had no clue whatsoever that Jacob, my best friend that I thought I knew so well, is a wolf._

"Fine, I'll see you at lunch", Jacob's voice interrupts my flashback.

Mentally, I set an important note in my head to remind him about the wolf incident.

The toilet doors slam shut and finally I'm alone, without anyone to question me. I breathe out heavily and bury my head in my knees. Tears uncontrollably leak out of my eyes, but I decide I don't care anymore. Here there's nobody to make fun of me anymore.

My fingers trace the scar on the side of my stomach. I know it was a stupid and reckless thing to do – but I definitely don't regret it. Saving Jacob's life has to be the only thing that I don't actually regret. If I could go back to that moment – the only thing I would have changed is that I would have let Victoria kill me first instead of putting Jacob in danger. He's the most important thing in my life; he's what I live for now.

I used to think that about Edward. But now I know why I was wrong. Me being with Jacob now just feels right and for once in my life I feel complete. We have this connection; a connection that makes us almost inseparable. Right now I can't bear to be away from him. It's like whenever we're apart, he's taken a part of my heart with him; a part I can't live without.

Carefully, I stroke the cast around my hand; this is definitely something I regret doing. I should have never punched Jacob. Like he had said; what was I even thinking? I trap up all my anger inside, and in that brief moment I snapped and lashed out at someone who means the world to me. But with him by my side now, I know that will never happen again.

"Bella, why are you here?" A voice questions me.

My head jerks up startled, only to find Edward leaning on the toilet door. Not the real Edward. Of course. This one is just another figment of my imagination.

"I could ask you the same question, you're not a girl are you?"

Edward snickers at my joke and flashes me a smile. But not just any smile; my favourite crooked smile.

_Oh no. He's trying to dazzle me again! _

I shake my head violently.

_No! No! Don't let him dazzle you Bella! Be strong!_

I yell motivations at myself inside my head and to my surprise; they seem to be actually working this time.

In an attempt to prevent Edward's dazzling, I quickly push an image of Jacob into my mind. I try and remind myself that the Edward in front of me now isn't real.

Slowly, I lift my head back up only to find that much to my displeasure he is still here.

"I don't want you here, I don't want you here", I repeat this over and over again out loud.

If I can just convince myself that I don't want Edward anymore then my mind will stop creating fake images of him. My heart will stop beating in pain every time I hear his name and I will no longer feel empty.

Edward begins to fade away as I realise that I no longer need him to survive. Jacob is my cure. As he begins to become almost transparent, he reaches out to stroke my pale face.

"I will return, I always do", he coughs out his last words before fading away into nothingness.

His words stay firmly locked up in my mind. I know that the Edward which I just saw was fake – but I can't help but believe what he just said is true.

I start to panic. What if Edward does come back? He's going to be heartbroken if he finds me with Jacob! What will I tell him?

My heart begins to race faster, as the feeling of fatigue begins to overwhelm me.

_No, I won't fall asleep! I won't fall asleep! Not in the toilet! Anywhere but here! _

Despite my screaming, my eyes begin to close and as I fall into a deep sleep, my mind focuses on only one person.

Edward.

* * *

The flushing of a toilet brings me back to the present and I blink repeatedly so my eyes can adjust to the light. I check my watch. It's one minute until lunch.

Then it hits me. I've been asleep for nearly three hours. In a toilet.

_Cringe._

Not wanting to be caught by anyone I know, I creep out into the corridor. It's completely jam-packed, which is a good sign as it means nothing unusual is happening.

I blend into the crowds easily and begin to make my way to the canteen so I can satisfy my growling stomach. I try to ignore its cries and hope that no one else can hear it. I'm not usually a fan of food – but I seem to be acting weird today – my feelings are all over the place.

With my head hanging down, watching everywhere my feet step, I manage to avoid bumping into anyone and this comes as a surprise to me since I'm usually a magnet to accidents. This is another thing that's different about me today.

My head slams into someone's chest and I look up startled, only to find Mike Newton grinning at me. _Great._ Looks like I spoke too soon . . . He's the last person I want to see today.

"Bella!" he shouts, even though I'm right next to him, and everyone turns around to stare at us.

My cheeks flame red with embarrassment and I push past him in the direction of food.

"Hey, Bella, wait up!" Mike yells, a bit quieter this time and joins me in the lunch queue.

"I'm not in the mood, Mike", I sigh, as I turn my back on him.

His joyful behaviour could only mean that he has found out about Edward and I's break up, but not that I'm dating Jacob now. I was surprised he didn't ask me out the day Edward and I broke up. I've only just learnt, however that he was out of town and has only just returned.

"I heard about you and Cullen's break up", he tries to act sad for me, but it's not working.

"So?" I respond sharply, as I enter the canteen.

A look of hurt flashes across Mike's face, but I turn away before his expression changes. My growling stomach reminds me of what I'm here for, so I choose a plain, ham and cheese sandwich from the rack along with a bottle of orange.

"Well", he begins, "I was wondering if you would like to go out wi–", Mike is prevented from continuing by the sound of the till as I purchase my lunch.

I scan the room for Jacob, but I can't seem to find him anywhere. Mike gets ready to speak again, as my search for a way out becomes more drastic. I already know what he's going to say, but I don't want to hear it; today of all days. Why is this happening to me?

"So, will you go out wi–".

"Hey, Bells", Jacob interrupts Mike.

Silently, I throw a party in my mind. _Go Jake! _

He wraps his arms around me and I retreat into his muscular build. Mike takes this as his cue to leave – the look on his face is just too precious, he looks heartbroken. Jacob chuckles to himself, knowing full well already what Mike was about to ask me. It's almost as if he knows what I'm thinking; as if he can read my mind. Something that Edward could never do.

My heart rate increases. Just being in the same room as Jacob makes me tingle with happiness. It feels as if the whole world has stopped and that now the only thing that matters is us.

A cough brings me back to my senses and I realise that we have been blocking the queue for the till for what has seemed like ages. Everyone is staring at us, but this time I don't care. After my outburst this morning nobody seems to be talking to me.

I lock my unbroken fingers into Jacob's and lead him over to the table I usually sit on. Around the seats are my usual friends – if you count Lauren and Jessica as 'friends'. Jacob and I take the two empty ones and attempt to join in with the conversation.

"So, at the weekend, there was this boy, well there were loads of boys, who were super fit", Lauren begins, but pauses for a second, waiting for someone to laugh.

As if on cue, the whole table bursts into laughter and I awkwardly bite into my sandwich. It tastes disgusting and remains as a solid lump in my throat. I can't seem to swallow it. Is it that bad?

Lauren turns to face me and shoots me a death stare. I act surprised, but I shouldn't be; this is normal behaviour for her.

"Oh look who it is, The Cullen girl", she smirks, before leaving the table.

She's such a cow sometimes.

The rest of table follow, including Jessica. She's like Lauren's little lap-dog – constantly living under her shadow. When will she learn that the whole world doesn't revolve around Lauren?

Angela pats me on the shoulder sympathetically as if to say sorry, but then joins the rest of the crowd. Tears begin to form, but I wipe them away quickly; not wanting to repeat what happened this morning.

I went from being one of the most popular girls in school – with all the boys wanting to date me – to nothing in the space of a week. _Great._

"Hey, Bella, Jake, fancy seeing you here", a familiar voice startles me.

My head flicks up only to find Seth grinning up at me. His cheesy grin makes him look almost childlike and he's certainly cute.

He sits down and as if by magic, the whole table is filled with boys who look similar to Jacob. Isn't this every girls dream; to be surrounded by boys?

_Wow. Maybe things are looking up for me._

A huge smile forms on Jacob's face and he re-entwines my fingers into his.

"Bella, this is Quil, Embry, Paul, Jared, and of course Seth", he points at each one of them and hesitates before continuing so I am able to absorb all the new information, "Quil, Embry, Paul, Jared, and Seth, this is Bella, my girlfriend".

My stomach fills with butterflies. It's official, Jacob and I are a couple now.

I feel like the happiest person alive.

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**A/n – Does anyone have an idea of what the connection is that Bella was talking about . . ? I'm going to reveal it properly in Chapter Eight, where Edward might return ;)**

**Hope you enjoyed and please review!**


	7. Chapter 6 – Quileute Legends

**A/n – Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does!**

**Hope you like this quick update! :) I bet you wasn't expecting the next chapter to be up so quickly! :D Yes, I'm awesome! Lol**

**Enjoy! :)**

**I re-edited this chapter because I wasn't happy with it - it was too short! I hope you enjoy this version more!**

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**Chapter Six – Quileute Legends**

I study the five new faces in front of me. Their names all seem vaguely familiar, like their appearances. They all have the same olive skin tone and their black hair is cut to the exact same length. It's like they're all related to each other, or that it's just a coincidence. Either way they have to be linked to one another somehow, but I can't seem to figure out why.

"Don't you all look, umm, the same?" I ask them, as their blank faces stare back at me.

Maybe they're all wolves like Jacob is. Wait, Jacob's a wolf. The mental note I set earlier re-opens inside my mind. I must ask Jacob about the wolf incident. It's been bugging me all day. I'm stuck between believing that he's actually a wolf, or that in shock, my mind made up a fake image of a wolf, for a reason I can't put my finger on. It wouldn't be the first time my mind played tricks on me though - I still keep seeing images of Edward when I'm alone.

"Yeah, we're kind of, in a way, related somehow, we're the members of the Quileute tribe and we can cha–", Seth stops in mid-sentence as Jacob shoots him a warning look.

So, if they're all members of the 'Quileute' tribe, does that mean they're wolves too? They must be. Well, I hope they are since it would explain a lot of things.

But is there something they don't want me to know? Why did Seth stop in the middle of his sentence? The same questions whirl around in my mind, but I'm unable to answer any of them at the moment. Hopefully, in time Jacob will answer all of my questions - otherwise I'm going to have to do some searching for myself.

The only thing I'm sure of though, is that there's definitely something unusual going on here.

The bell rings, indicating that lunch is over and the Quileutes take this as their cue to leave. They follow Quil out of the canteen in an orderly fashion and I take this chance to compare their heights. Just as I expected, they're all the same height, apart from Seth - now I'm sure they must be wolves.

"Jake, wait!" he tries to follow his friends, but I pull him back before he can escape, "Is there something you're not telling me?" I pause for a few seconds, waiting for him to come out with the truth, but he doesn't like I hoped, "Jake, I know you're a wolf".

He looks back at me astonished, as if to say; 'I didn't know you knew'. But that is a stupid thing to think, he phased in front of me and nearly killed me, of course I would know that he's a wolf.

"Look, Bells, I thought you would have forgotten by now", Jacob smiles sheepishly and rubs the back of his neck, "But, I promise everything will be explained soon".

I nod, knowing that he is telling the truth and he kisses me lightly on the lips before heading to next lesson. I check my timetable and the expression on my face instantly drops to a frown as I realise that I have gym next.

Could this day get any better?

A loud groan escapes my lips as I make my way to next class. Thank God Jacob wasn't in my gym class – I don't want him to watch me make a fool of myself all the time, like Edward used to do. I'm glad he's gone now. That way I don't have anymore people watching me; being the centre of attention is bad enough, even only a small amount of people there.

As I walk into the changing rooms I find Lauren grinning at me evilly, as Jessica stands behind her, willingly holding her clothes for her as she applies even more makeup to her orange face.

I sigh, Jessica will never learn.

She's only following her so she can become more popular. Ever since Edward denied her and Mike dumped her, her self esteem has been very low - you don't need to be a genius to work it out. Her face wears a frown everyday. In order to boost her chances of dating again, she's agreed to become Lauren's 'servant' - that way Lauren gets someone to do her dirty work for her and Jessica becomes more popular.

It's a win - win situation.

Filled with thoughts, I slip on my gym clothes and make my way into the sports hall. It's so unfair. I'm still forced to participate in gym, even though my hand is broken. The unlucky thing for me though, is that I broke the hand which I **don't** use for writing or holding a bat - so I still have to do everything normally. Next time, I'll make sure I punch Jacob using my right hand, not my left.

As I walk through the door I notice Coach Clapp who is organizing everyone into teams – or should I say, trying to organize everyone, but nobody seems to be listening.

"We're doing badminton today class", he claps his hands to try and get our attention, since his other ways haven't been very successful, "Get into partners", he announces.

Mike begins to head in my direction. I start to panic. I can't be in the same team as him – not after last time when I ended up whacking him with my racket. That was too embarrassing. If it happens again I'll become the laughing stock of the school. Nobody will forget it - Lauren or Jessica will certainly see to that by spreading it around the school.

My search for another willing partner becomes more frantic. There's no one else left to go with - Angela is off limits as she's with Ben, her boyfriend. I'm officially friendless. I pivot on my foot to check for Mike's location. Oh no! He's getting closer - which can only mean one thing . . .

I'm running out of time!

My wandering eyes in search of anyone who's free, other than Mike, freeze over Quil. Quil is in my class? I waste no more time questioning and race over to him, just as Mike reaches me. I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that from now on I wouldn't have to go through that again. All I have to do is pair up with Quil from now on and then my worries of Mike as my partner will be gone.

"Oh, hey, Bella didn't think you were in my class", Quil says giving off the impression that he hasn't noticed my panic in finding a partner yet.

"Yeah, well, so", I stutter, not able to form my words properly.

Mike rushes over to me and opens his mouth ready to ask me the question I've been trying to avoid all lesson so far. The look on his face turns to a confusing expression, since he's not sure who Quil actually is. I laugh to myself quietly. Poor Mike - no one wants to be partners with him.

"Ok, Quil, of course I'll be your partner", I shout loudly, so I can get the message across to Mike.

Quil looks back at me confused. _Great._ I nod my head at him convincingly and he manages to figure out what I'm going on about. Well, at least one person thinks I'm not crazy.

"That's great, Bella, I'm so glad you said yes", he plays along convincingly and leads me over to one of the empty badminton courts.

As soon as Mike has turned around I leap into the air triumphantly. Quil is a life saver.

"Don't mention it", Quil grins, before I have a chance to thank him properly.

I grab my bat from the floor and hand one up to Quil. As we wait for another pair to join us for a game, he throws the shuttlecock up in the air and bounces it on his bat. He looks so much like Jacob – they look almost like brothers. In fact, they're so similar, I think in public they could almost be mistaken for twins if someone was to briefly take a glance at them together.

"Ugh. My nail is broken!" Lauren squeals.

I look up to see Lauren's scrunched up orange face staring at her nail, as if she thinks it will magically re-attach if she stares at it long enough. Going by the expression on her face she looks as if she's about to burst into floods of tears, but that wouldn't come at a surprise. She's such a drama queen.

"Trouble in paradise huh?" I smirk back.

Instead of rudely commenting back, she just glares at me, her eyes red with fire. Strangely I was actually looking forward to an argument with her, but she has already ruined my hopes by not replying.

"We're playing here, there's no other free court", she clicks her fingers and Jessica sprints over to her, carrying both their bats.

_Damn. _I had just managed to escape Mike and now I'm stuck with Lauren and her little lap-dog Jessica. This is truly the worst day ever. Unless you count the day Edward and I broke up, but I'm completely over him now.

_Yeah. Totally. You keep believing that Bella._

_Wait, what?_

Quil looks at me and nods, indicating that he's going to serve first. I don't object, since I'm not really looking forward to losing to a brainless blonde and her dog, especially since now I have a broken hand. I'm not saying that every blonde is a stereotypical air-head, but this rule definitely applies to Lauren - no doubt about it.

The shuttlecock flies over the net and Lauren hits it neatly back over, with too much force. It comes flying at me and in surprise, I duck, not wanting to attempt to hit it back since I would probably miss.

"Scared of the shuttlecock are we Swan?" Coach Clapp, walks past our game and attempts to hold back a laugh.

I don't blame him. Sport isn't exactly my strong point. I would be ashamed to have me in his class.

Quil passes me the shuttlecock and the expression on my face turns to an immediate frown. He wants me to serve? What a stupid idea. I can tell that he has no idea whatsoever about my terrible sporting history with badminton. If he knew I don't think he would have agreed to team up with me.

I concentrate hard on the shuttlecock and throw it into the air. As it comes back into view I lift my bat up ready to hit it, but I end up slamming it straight into my face. The shuttlecock falls to the ground on our side of the net and I crumple to the floor into a heap; my head throbbing with pain.

"Bella! Are you ok!?" Mike's eyes widen in alarm as he races towards me from the other side of the room.

How did he even know? He's too far away. Unless he was watching me. What a creep. He stands over me, his eyes wide in alarm. I swallow my laugh. Wow. He overreacts a lot. It's just a minor accident - nothing compared to my previous ones.

"I just whacked my head its fine", I shoo him away as Quil begins to help me back up.

Coach Clapp hasn't noticed it yet, which is a relief since I really don't want to be visiting medical or even the hospital anytime soon. My head starts to feel worse, but I try to ignore it. There's only a few minutes left of the lesson; I think I can at least last that long. Since I'm still a bit in pain, Quil gets ready to take the shuttlecock from me, but Coach Clapp stops him.

"Let Swan have her go", he intervenes, confirming that he didn't witness my injury.

I contemplate about whether or not to tell him, but I decide not to – anything to keep me from going to a place in the presence of blood.

This time I attempt to approach serving differently. I hold the shuttlecock a few centimetres above my racket and breathe in a large gulp of air. After staring at it for a moment, I release the shuttlecock and it drops onto my bat. At immediate contact I push the bat into the air and I watch as the shuttlecock flies over the net. In a moment of celebrating my victory I accidently let go of my bat, but before I can grab it again, it glides through the air and straight into Lauren's face.

It hits her nose and a waterfall of blood begins to flow from it. Nearly all the students in the room rush to her side, including Coach Clapp, but I can't seem to move. I'm frozen in my spot. The smell of rust and salt attacks my nose and I begin to gag. I can't bear to be in the same room as that scent. It makes me feel ill.

Before I know it I'm running into the changing room, just as the bell sounds and I pick up all my belongings only using one hand. My speed begins to slow down as I make my way to the parking lot because I realise if I keep running I will probably end up tripping. I fumble through the pile of clothes for my truck keys and to my delight I manage to easily find them. With my right hand coated with sweat I power up the engine and drive out of the lot at top speed as Coach Clapp sprints out of the sports hall in search of me.

The image of Lauren's bloody nose and tears floats into my mind. But, for some reason I feel no remorse for what I have just done. The guilt should be eating me up inside right now, but it's not. In fact, I feel the complete opposite. She deserved it for being so evil to me at lunch and stealing my friends.

The drive home seems much shorter than usual. Maybe it's because in that short moment when I thought I had actually hit the shuttlecock – a rush of adrenaline pumped through my body and has made me hyper; like someone I used to know . . .

Alice.

I exit my truck and stand there admiring it for a while before locking it up. Its red/orange colour has faded slightly and a bit of rust has begun to form on the bottom of it, but despite its flaws I love it. From the first moment I saw it, I just knew that it would be perfect for me.

Filled with unusual happiness, I unlock the door of Charlie's house and head for my bedroom. Charlie isn't home yet, which means I don't have to start cooking yet. This is great, as it means I have some time to myself to spend some time searching the internet for more information on the Quileutes. Even though Jacob promised to explain everything to me soon, I don't think I'm able to wait that long – curiosity is getting the better of me.

As I push open my bedroom door, a pleasant scent of wildflowers hits my nose. It's strong - very strong, and smells similar to the flowers in the meadow. I follow the scent further into my bedroom and sit down by my desk where the scent stops. There, laid neatly across my keyboard is a bunch of flowers.

They aren't ordinary flowers, however, they are the ones from the meadow. Our meadow. I finger the three flowers carefully. One is a light, purple colour, the other a vibrant yellow, and the last one is a pure white; the epitome of perfection and purity.

For some reason, the flowers are slightly wilted, but that's probably down to the fact that I've only just noticed them now. They were probably placed here a couple of days ago, but since I've spent most of my time in hospital, I've only just noticed them. But I already know who put them there.

Edward.

Placing the flowers in my almost full vase on my desk, I sigh and log onto my computer, trying to empty my thoughts of Edward. Before I start searching I open my email inbox to see if Renée has emailed me since I last checked. Just as I suspected there's one unopened message, waiting for me to read it.

_Bella, _

_Hope you're feeling ok, after the accident – I hope you haven't done anything too reckless since! One of Phil's baseball games is being held nearby in a few weeks, so if I can I'll pop round! _

_Tell Charlie about my plans!_

_Keep safe,_

_Love mom xx_

I smile at the email. She knows me too well. Of course I've injured myself since the last time I saw her, but I'm not going to tell her – I don't want her to worry.

_Hi mom! _

_I'm doing great! Of course I'm fine, nothing bad has happened to me since!_

My brow furrows and my forehead creases. I delete what I have just typed up, even though it took me much longer than usual to do so because of my broken hand. The message which I was planning to send Renée seems much too enthusiastic for me, and it won't fool her. This time, I decide not to include anything about my injuries.

_Mom, _

_That sounds great, can't wait to see you again! I'll let Charlie know when he comes home and tell Phil I said hi! Hope his baseball is doing good!_

_Bella x_

Satisfied with my email, I hit send and switch tabs to Google. I type in; Quileute legends and in an instant millions of results fill my screen. Using the mouse, I click on the first option. I scan the text before me and my eyes stop over a particular paragraph. I begin to read it out loud, in order to ensure I don't miss anything important.

"Members of the Quileute tribes descended from wolves; they are their brothers which means it's against the tribal law to kill them. These wolves are often mistaken for being the children of the moon; who only change when a full moon is present – however they are shape-shifters and the more experienced of them are sometimes able to choose when they phase. The shape-shifters often live in tribes and members of the same ones often appear similar to one another. They can look almost identical in appearance and this can only mean that they all share the same wolf genes".

I gasp. I was right. Jacob's friends are wolves too.

A knock at my window startles me and my head flicks up. Frightened, I peek through a gap in my curtain, but all I can see is darkness. That's weird. I didn't know it is that late. Charlie must have come home, but thought better than to disturb me.

The knocks on the windows continue. I take another look out, just in case I missed something last time. Indeed I had. I squint and in the darkness I manage to make out a dark figure holding something in his hands. He brings it up into the air and throws it towards my window.

It smashes to pieces, and in fear for my life, I let out an ear-piercing scream . . .

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**A/n – Cliff hanger! :O Who do you think was outside her window? Let me know in a review!**

**Hope you enjoyed it! **


	8. Chapter 7 – Bonfire

**A/n – Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does!**

**Competition time!**

**I need someone to think of a SPECIAL meeting place**** for Jacob and Bella - so for instance Edward and Bella had the meadow - the winner will get the next chapter dedicated to them & I'll read/review ALL of their stories and recommend them in the next chapter and to my friends on FF! Please include your idea in your review or PM your ideas! Please! Please! PLEASE!**

**I can't start the next chapter until I have a meeting place for them!**

**Enjoy; this is a long chapter! :) . . .**

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**Chapter Seven - Bonfire**

Charlie races into my room; his face panic stricken with a loaded gun under his left arm. The expression on my face turns to a shocked one at the sight of Charlie holding a gun - but I know I shouldn't be surprised. It's normal for him. He sleeps with a shotgun. But who can blame him? He's the chief of police. There are probably a lot of criminals out there who still hold a grudge against him.

"Bella! Are you ok? What happened!?" He fires questions at me and begins to search my room.

"Tapping noise on window, something smashed it and, and", my muddled words just about manage to link together and form an understandable sentence.

Before he can answer the doorbell sounds. In unison, both our heads flick up in shock. I feel with panic again; panic about who it might be, and that if it's the same person who smashed my window. I try to move. But for the second time today I can't bring myself to do it. I'm too scared. Petrified, in fact, would be an understatement to describe my feelings at this point.

Charlie is the first to break out of the trance.

Slowly, he begins to make his way down the stairs, as I follow closely behind him not wanting to take the lead. I'm not usually a wimp, but in a situation like this, my nerves take over. When I used to live with Renée, I had to act as the responsible one around the house, however, since living with Charlie, I've changed. A lot.

The doorbell rings again, just as Charlie is about to answer the door, but he cowardly retreats backwards and turns to face me. I just nod at him; he's a grown man and a police officer for a matter of fact, he deals with blood-thirsty criminals everyday, so this should be the least of his worries.

He steps closer to the door and clasps the handle in his sweaty palms, while I wait on the edge of the stairs, in a crouching position, ready to spring away if the situation gets out of hand. Everything stays quiet for a few seconds. It's so quiet that I can even hear Charlie's steady heart pounding with fear, and my much healthier heart beating rhythmically in the background.

Charlie breathes in deeply, his hands shaking with fear, and suddenly I begin to feel guilty for not helping him, but at this moment in time I'm too frightened myself to do anything. He swings the door open and points his gun at the figure's head, who still remains anonymous to me.

"Come into the light, no sudden movements, or I shoot, don't talk", Charlie orders, sounding much more professional, and less scared than he actually is.

The figure knows better than to disobey him, so follows his orders and steps into our house without talking. His body is shaking like mine, but much more violently, but who wouldn't be, with a gun pointed to your head?

The light shines over his face and I squint in the dimness. As my eyes adjust to the light I name comes instantly to me. It's Jacob.

"Jake", I breathe, and pull him into a tight embrace, "What the hell are you doing here? You nearly scared us to death", I shout at him, and for some reason I also feel the urge to slap some sense into him.

But I think better of it; I don't want to break my other hand too.

Charlie drops his gun from Jacob's head, as he breathes out a sigh of relief and relaxes a little. He's not as relaxed as he usually is, but that's the same with me too. I still haven't found the culprit behind throwing the stones, but at least the mystery person at the doorbell has been revealed.

"I threw a stone at your window, to try and get your attention. I wanted to ask you something", Jacob pauses, "And then I heard a scream, from you. I was scared out of my wits Bells, I thought something had happened to you", his voice trails off.

Then it hits me. Jacob was the person who smashed my window. But there's no way on earth he would have broken it on purpose; he's not like that. He would never put my life in danger - all he has ever tried to do is protect me. Even from the beginning he attempted to save me from Edward, but I was too stubborn to listen. Now, however, I will never make that same mistake again. The real question now is; what did he want to ask me?

"So, you're saying you smashed Bella's window and nearly killed her just because you wanted to ask her something!?" Charlie yells angrily.

I know he's only trying to protect me like Jacob is, but he doesn't need to get this worked up over it. He looks like a volcano waiting to explode; I won't be surprised if steam shoots out of his nose soon. In a way it's funny watching him become angry just over me. But of course I can't laugh, even though I'd love too, it would probably set him off even more.

Jacob takes the safer option, and doesn't say anything; smart boy.

"Why didn't you just use the door like a normal person!?"

He glares at Jacob, as fire burns inside his eyes. It reminds me of what Jacob looked like when I first witnessed him phasing into a wolf. And that, was scary. I can't help but wonder whether Charlie is a wolf too; but that's stupid since it would make me one too . . .

Charlie's laughter interrupts my thoughts and I quickly direct my attention towards him so I can discover the source of the commotion. Jacob hasn't said anything funny to cause him to laugh, as I first thought, since he's standing there just as confused as I am about Charlie's actions. W_eird. _

For a few minutes, Charlie stands there just laughing as tears of joy roll down his cheeks, while Jacob and I stare at him gob-smacked. As his laughter begins to quieten, he looks up to find us staring at him and his cheeks colour crimson with embarrassment. We both raise our eyebrows at Charlie weirdly, as if to question his behaviour, and to my surprise he seems to understand what we're trying to get at.

"When I was shouting at Jacob, he looked so scared", Charlie pauses to stop himself from laughing at the memory again, "I could tell he thought I was going to shoot him with my gun at any moment; the look on his face was just too precious", he blocks his mouth in order to hold back his laughs.

Jacob just grins, and tries not to blush, which indicates to me Charlie's guess is correct. I try to imagine the expression on his face in that situation and I can't help but giggle too. I have to admit it must have been funny for Charlie I wouldn't have gone _as _over the top as he did. That would have been too embarrassing for me.

"I'll leave you two love-birds alone, but if you go out Bella, don't stay out too late", Charlie grunts.

I watch him as he hobbles up the stairs - nearly falling back down a few times and as walks out of sight, I listen for his footsteps above. A loud creaking sound of the floorboards accompanies his movements and as soon as I hear his bedroom door shut - indicating he wouldn't be able to hear our conversation - I pivot on my foot to face Jacob.

"So", I grin at him,"What did you want to ask me?"

"Well", he wraps his arms around my waist as he continues talking to me, "I was wondering whether you would like to accompany me to the bonfire being held at La Push? The rest of the Quileutes will be there, and this will be a chance for everything about the wolves to be explained to you".

This is a chance for all my questions about the Quileute legends I found on the internet to be answered by actual members of the tribe. There is absolutely no way on earth that I'm going to miss this opportunity; especially as it means I get to spend even more time with Jacob. This is going to be great!

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world", I grin, as I close the front door behind us.

Outside in the doorway, I stand on my tiptoes and passionately kiss Jacob on the lips since I probably won't be able to do anything like this at the bonfire. Jacob's friends won't appreciate our affection towards each other in public and the last thing I want to do is make them feel uncomfortable in their own homes. After all, I'm the guest of course.

* * *

"Ugh, if you've come to cause Jacob more heartache, I suggest you leave", a girl glares at me angrily before storming off.

From this moment on, I know that we aren't going to get along with each other. She has obviously already made up her mind about me being someone who doesn't care about other people's feelings, but I'm too tired now to even bother to argue with her over it.

"Don't worry about her, that's just Leah, she can be a bit moody sometimes", Jacob smiles.

Agreeing with his statement, even though I have only just met her, I nod back at him, as thoughts about Leah circulate in my mind. For a girl, her hair is cut short; very short and for some odd reason she looks exactly like Jacob, but as a girl. She's pretty too and has the same olive skin tone as Jacob and the rest of the Quileutes. Maybe, just maybe, she's a wolf too. But that isn't possible. At least I think it isn't possible. The website I looked on made it pretty clear that only males could phase into wolves . . .

"Correction; Leah's moody _all_ the time", a voice snickers from behind me.

Startled, I turn around to find Seth grinning at me. He's a lot shorter than I remember, but that's probably down to the fact I only saw him sitting down at the lunch table, not standing up, and he's definitely much younger than Jacob. I'm guessing there's around a two year age difference between them, if not more.

"Hey, Seth", Jacob high fives him, and Seth bounds over to the rest of the Quileutes who are already seated around the bonfire, "Seth's the youngest of us all to phase", he explains.

I gasp. That could only mean one thing; I'm right. Jacob's friends or the Quileutes as they're called are all wolves too. Then it clicks. That's what Seth was trying to tell me in the canteen until Jacob interrupted him - but why didn't he want me to know? I rack my brain for ideas and eventually come to the conclusion that he wanted to tell me himself.

"Does that mean, the Quileutes are all, all, all", I can't bring myself to say it, but Jacob nods anyway - it's obvious what I am trying to tell him.

Jacob takes my hand in his and leads me over to the bonfire, where logs are positioned around it with members of the tribe seated on them. I carefully walk around the edge of the fire to an empty space, making sure I don't disturb the delicate fire ballerinas who dance gracefully on their wooden stage.

"I'm glad you could all make it", Billy, Jacob's father announces, "Welcome to another Quileute tribe meeting".

He continues to talk, but I tune out most of what he's saying, since nothing applies to me and I take this chance to study the new faces around me. There's Jacob's friends sitting next to each other among other similar looking people who I have never seen before. A similar girl to Leah, who has a large scar down the side of her face, is sitting next to a muscular man who has his arm around her.

I try not to stare at her scar, but I can't help it. It covers most of her face and its hard to miss, even though it doesn't make her seem any less pretty. She looks over to where I'm sitting and we lock gazes for a second. She smiles at me warmly and I quickly avert my eyes away from her guiltily. _Damn. Why did I have to stare?_

Avoiding contact with the scarred-girl, my wandering eyes hover over the rest of the tribe. Seth is perched next to Leah who has a scowl on her face, and on the other side of him is an older woman who has her arm around him protectively. They both have similar facial features to each other, so I label her as Seth's mother.

Further around the circle is Quil whispering things, I'm unable to hear, to an older man who is sitting next to him. The older man is next to Billy, so I assume he's a friend of his. They both look too old to be able to phase into a wolf, since Billy is in a wheelchair and most of the shape-shifters, as the website called them, are much younger than Quil's older friend.

"Tonight, we are lucky enough to have Bella here", Billy tells everyone.

At the sound of my name my eyes dart over to him, and as he turns to look at me too I smile at him gratefully, for he hasn't made a big deal of my presence yet. This is a relief for me, since I hate being the centre of attention and I don't think I could manage all these people staring at me. Last time an incident similar to this happened at school I nearly deafened everyone with my shouting. Never again.

"I'm going to tell you the story of The Third Wife", he begins.

Some of the younger members of the tribe, grin with happiness; they're obviously excited for story time. At the moment I'm not that bothered about this story, but I hope soon my opinion will change. For Jacob's sake, I put on a huge smile and act like I'm interested.

"A year after Taha Aki – the first member of the Quileute tribe – phased, he and the Quileute wolves came across a sweet scent; the scent of a cold one", Billy pauses and then rephrases his sentence for my sake, "They came across the scent of a vampire".

I nod as I realise that the Quileute tribe calls Vampires, like the Cullens, the cold ones, however, Jacob calls them other names, which are much more offensive than the term; cold one, since Vampires' body temperatures are freezing cold.

"After searching for them, they came across two, a male and a female cold one. The female managed to escape, but the tribe soon finished the cold male off", Billy pauses.

As I stare into the fire in front of me, waiting for Billy to continue, for some strange reason, I see two wolves fighting a vampire. I have to do a double take, not quite sure of what I'm seeing. Everything Billy has said of the story so far is happening inside the fire. I can see it all so clearly. Taha Aki phasing, him sniffing out the cold one's scent along with the rest of the tribe . . .

"Bells, its ok I can see it too", Jacob grins - he has obviously noticed the confused look on my face, "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself", he wraps his arm around me lovingly.

I had been wrong about this bonfire. Completely wrong. This story is beginning to become more interesting every second and the pictures in the fire has made everything one hundred times better.

"They left the cold male's body torn to pieces on the side, but soon noticed it resembling itself and that's when they realised the only way to ensure that he wouldn't come back was to burn the pieces", Billy pulls off a chain from around his neck and shows it to the rest of the tribe, "This, has been passed down from generation to generation; it's the cold one's ashes - now he can never return".

Billy passes the necklace around the circle for us to admire, and when it reaches me, I examine it carefully. It's a silver tube pendant, filled with ashes, and it's attached to a silver chain necklace that's colour has faded. It's an antique. A very valuable one. I pass the necklace to the person beside me, as Billy continues with the story.

"Taha Aki, and his tribe underestimated the cold woman. She soon returned to the village seeking revenge for her mate's death. When she arrived the tribe were dazzled by her beauty; it was unnatural to be as beautiful as she was", Billy pauses as the fire shows the cold woman in all her glory, "Taha Aki's third wife was in the village when the cold woman arrived. She watched, powerless, as her son was killed by the cold women, and new she had to do something before the same happened to her husband".

The story triggers a memory in my mind of how I was feeling in the meadow. I felt the same as the third wife. Completely powerless to save Jacob from Victoria. In a way, I feel connected to her in some way, and now I find myself fearing for her life. A part of me feels sorry for her and hopes that she and her husband will survive.

"Desperate to save him, she grabbed a knife from one of her sons, ran towards to cold woman, and stabbed herself in the heart, resulting in killing herself instantly. The cold woman, however, who was two thirsty to resist, began to feast on her, giving Taha Aki, and his tribe the distraction they needed to kill the cold woman properly", Billy stops to reattach the necklace around his neck.

With my broken hand resting on my lap, I watch the scene happen before my eyes in front of the fire, and I can't help but admire the third wife for her bravery in saving her husband. And then, it clicks. I am the third wife. I sacrificed myself to save Jacob from a cold woman, who came to avenge her mate's death. Only, there's one crucial difference. I survived.

"After that, Taha Aki never returned to his human self, staying to protect his wife's body and leaving to the forest never to return to the tribe", Billy hesitates before continuing, "And that, was the story of the Third Wife's Sacrifice, which therefore concludes our meeting for today".

After Billy has finished speaking the rest of the tribe evacuate their seats and begin to head off home. Jacob fidgets next to me and stands up, pulling me up beside him. I smile at him, without talking and he doesn't say anything either, because I know we're both thinking the same thing about the third wife.

During our journey home to my house none of us say a word still, and my mind continues to cram full of more thoughts about the third wife. I can't get over the fact that our stories are both similar. My only wish for her is that she could have survived, but it was definitely a noble way to die; in the place of someone else whom she loved.

As Jacob pulls up outside my house, I climb out the car, before kissing him delicately on the cheek. The story we heard tonight has both affected us in someway, but more him than me.

"See you tomorrow Bells, at graduation", he smiles and drives off before I have the chance to answer.

Graduation? I gasp. Graduation is tomorrow!?

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**A/n - Hope you enjoyed the long chapter - remember the competition! **

**Please review! :)**


	9. Chapter 8 – Edward's Return

**A/n – Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does!**

**Thank you to SnapApple450Fan3 who gave me not one, but three awesome ideas for a meeting place, so I crammed them into one idea! **

**This chapter is dedicated to SnapApple450Fan3 – you're awesome! :D**

**Please read and review her stories they are awesome and really funny! :)**

**Bella's graduation speech is random… :P**

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**Chapter Eight – Edward's Return**

Jacob grips my hand tightly, as we sit in the front row, waiting for our names to be called out. I don't want to go up on that stage. I know something bad is going to happen. I have a gut feeling inside of me that I'm going to trip or fall and make a laughing stock of myself again. But that probably won't come as a surprise to most of my fellow students, even the teachers.

Our head teacher steps onto the stage and he makes his way over to a podium where a microphone is waiting for him. He taps at it to see if it works properly, before beginning his speech that everyone dreads. I tune out is speaking and twist silently in my seat to face Jacob.

"Why did you and the Quileutes bother to move from your old school? Seth and the others have only been here one day", I whisper to him.

He smiles, as if for some reason he knew that I was going to ask that question, sooner or later. Softly, he strokes my pale cheeks and tangles his fingers up in my mahogany hair soothingly before answering my question. He knows I'm scared; this is his way of relaxing me.

"Bells, none of us graduated from La Push High School, it closed down before we could, so we moved to the only school that would accept us at such a short notice", he grins again, "We had to graduate somewhere".

I nod at him and return the smile. I look around quickly, just to see if anyone is staring at us, but I find that everyone has directed their attention towards our head teacher, unlike me. With that thought in mind, I kiss Jacob passionately, but pull away quickly before the kiss becomes too hungry.

"Don't do that", Jacob breathes onto my neck.

"Do what?" I ask him, confused by what he meant.

"Kiss me, and then pull away in the middle of it".

He sighs and I can't help but smile up at him. At least he wants to kiss me, unlike Edward did. I know he's a vampire, and would probably have killed me if we had got too close, but he could have tried. That's all I would have wanted.

"I'm saving that for later", I wink at him.

Suddenly, everything goes silent. My eyes dart around worriedly, but then I realise our head teacher has finally stopped talking. I pull my robe's sleeve up, and reveal my watch underneath. He's been speaking for at least half an hour, must be a world record. Definitely.

He begins to call out people's names to enter the stage and collect their diploma, but I only listen for people's names who I know. Mine and Jacob's, especially.

Angela is the first to receive hers, and as she makes her way onto the stage I wave to her cheerfully, and she returns it. She's soon followed by other students in my year, who I don't know that well, and they all make short speeches before sitting back down.

When Jessica's name is called out, she hobbles on the stage enthusiastically; much more than is needed and coughs loudly to get everyone's attention. As everyone turns their heads towards her again, her yellow hat begins to slide off her head, so she quickly pushes it back up and pulls out a small sheet of paper.

"When we were five, they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. Our answers were things like astronaut, president, or in my case… princess", she pauses waiting for a laugh.

Everyone in the audience follows her wishes, and I seem to find myself joining in with it too. I remember that happening when I was little, but I didn't want to be an astronaut, a president, or even a princess. No, I wanted to be a teacher, just like Renée.

"When we were ten, they asked again and we answered - rock star, cowboy, or in my case, gold medallist. But now that we've grown up, they want a serious answer. Well, how 'bout this; who the hell knows?!"

I laugh at that one too. It's true, who does know? I used to think I wanted to be a vampire so I could live forever with Edward, but now, I don't have a clue.

"This isn't the time to make hard and fast decisions; it's time to make mistakes. Take the wrong train and get stuck somewhere chill. Fall in love - a lot. Major in philosophy 'cause there's no way to make a career out of that. Change your mind. Then change it again, because nothing is permanent. So make as many mistakes as you can. That way, someday, when they ask again what we want to be… we won't have to guess. We'll know".

Jessica takes her bow and everyone – nearly everyone – stands up from their seats and starts clap. I hate to admit it, but her speech was really good; it's the only one I've properly listened to today. Now, I don't know what I'm going to say for mine.

"Bella Swan, please come up to the stage and collect your diploma", a voice booms.

Too late now . . .

Jacob shoots me a reassuring look, before I stand up and begin to slowly walk up to the stage. I watch my feet as I continue, just so I can be sure that I don't trip over and embarrass myself in front of not only my whole year and teachers, but also everyone's parents too.

My head whacks into something hard, and I realise that I've hit the podium. I was too caught up in watching my feet to notice I had already made it onto the stage. I look up to find that the majority of the people in the audience are fighting to hold back a laugh.

At the sight of this, my cheeks colour a dark shade of crimson and I hide my face in embarrassment. I look out to the back of the room, and I see Charlie sitting there. He's not laughing like the rest. Our eyes meet and he gives me a smile, before nodding at me.

I reach out for the microphone, and bring it closer towards me. I breathe in deeply, knowing I haven't prepared anything.

"I've failed a lot in my life, but not once have I given up. Where would we be if we all just gave up at the first sign of difficulty? The answer is nowhere. If all of us had just given up after we fell the first time when trying to walk, we'd all still be crawling on the floor. Or if we had given up the first time we didn't understand a question in an exam, none of us would be here now".

A few people in the audience laugh at my comment, but not as big as a laugh as Jessica received. _Damn_. I'm going to have to up my game a bit.

"Most people think failure is a bad thing. In a way, yes it is, but it's also a good thing. Failure helps us learn. Without failure, well, we'd all be perfect. Now, wouldn't that be boring?"

Some people nod in agreement at my comment and whisper amongst themselves quickly while I pause to catch a breath.

"So the lesson is; don't get mad when you fail, because it's not the end of the world. We all still have our whole lives ahead of us, and that not only means plenty of time left to learn from our mistakes, but also to fix them".

I stop speaking, and for a moment, everyone just sits there staring at me. At first I panic inside my mind; what if they didn't like it? And then, as if they heard my thoughts, the whole room bursts into cheer, as everyone stands up clapping.

The expression on my face turns to an immediate grin and I direct my gaze back to Charlie. He's standing up and clapping a long with the rest of the crowd, but I also notice tears in his eyes. But it's not an unhappy tear; it's a tear of joy, because he's smiling.

Content with my speech, I take a bow like Jessica did, and return to my seat in the audience. For once in my life, I don't feel embarrassed being the centre of attention. I feel proud knowing that what I said is true; I'm going to make plenty more mistakes in the future.

* * *

"Your speech was great Bella!" Jessica smiles at me, as she grips on tightly to Lauren's bag.

"Thanks", I blush again slightly, "Yours was good too".

Jessica gets ready to say something else, but before she can, Jacob comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my small waist. He kisses my cheek and Jessica giggles childishly, but stops as Jacob and I shoot her a weird look.

"I'll leave you two alone then shall I?" She winks at me, "Oh, and are you coming to the graduation party? It's at my house", she grins.

"Bella and I have to go somewhere sorry", Jacob answers, before I can even open my mouth.

Jessica just nods, before smiling, and then skips away happily over to Lauren, who is surrounded by a group of boys, that are all obviously thinking the same thing.

"So, where are we going?"

"That's a surprise", he grins.

Jacob looks at me and then lets out a loud laugh. I already know it's because of the expression on my face. We both know why I'm frowning. I hate surprises. Even little surprises. Most people love them and get excited about them, but I don't. They make me feel uneasy and uncomfortable.

The whole point of surprises is that it's a surprise about where you're going or what's going to happen. But that's what I hate about them. The fact that I don't know what's coming next and I don't know what to expect.

"Ugh", I groan, "You know I hate surprises!" I complain even more.

Before I know it, Jacob scoops me into his arms and begins to carry me away from the crowds. It reminds me of when Edward used to carry me, only, Jacob isn't as fast as him, thank goodness. Fast speeds make me feel ill.

"Now, close your eyes Bella".

I shake my head violently. There's no way I'm going to close my eyes. Something bad could happen, something completely unexpected and then I'd be sitting there like everything is normal. What if Jacob is going to do something stupid? I won't be able to see what he's going to do so I can stop him before he goes through with the plan.

"Fine, if you aren't going to listen to me, I'll have to change my plans", he says as a huge smiles appears across his face.

Without warning, he slings me over his shoulder, preventing me from seeing where he's going. Now as I hang upside down, I realise it would have been easier just to close my eyes, and then maybe I wouldn't be feeling sick at this moment in time.

Angrily, I jab at his back continuously, but despite my protest he doesn't seem to be listening to me. In fact, I don't even think he can feel any of it. But that's down to the fact that I'm being much more careful than I was last time, so I don't end up breaking my other hand. I guess I'm not as strong as I think I am.

"Ok, we're here".

Jacob freezes in his position and brings me back up onto my own two feet. I wobble around for a few seconds, my head spinning with dizziness from being left upside down too long and I fall to the ground. I blink a few times, and then I regain my normal balance, so I am now able to focus on what's in front of me.

Then, I take a while to familiarize myself with my new surroundings. First I notice that we're on a hill, decorated by brown eyed Susan flowers. They're everywhere; covering the green grass like a blanket. I pick one from its stem and bring it up to my nose to smell. It has a beautiful scent; not like one I've smelt before.

I let my body flop into a lying position and I stare up at the sky. The moon is resting overhead, and is now our own source of light. Stars are dotted around it and are twinkling in the darkness. As I lie there, I listen for the sounds of the night and I'm surprised to hear the flowing of delicate water gushing onto rocks.

Curious of where the sound is coming from, I twist my body over in the direction of it and see a waterfall in the distance. I watch it in awe, as the water bounces onto the rocks below and reunite with the stream below. It truly is dazzling.

"Wow, it's amazing up here", I breathe.

"Yeah I know", Jacob grins and lies down beside me, as our hands lock together, "I thought that maybe it was time we had our own special place", he smiles at me.

We stare up at the perfect view of the moon and stars, for what seems like hours. A shooting star soars through the sky, and without thinking I instantly make a wish. I don't need to think about it. I already know what I want. I wish that from now on, Jacob and I's life would be perfect, and that nothing, or nobody would try to ruin it.

"But that's not the only reason I brought you here Bells", he rises into a sitting position and pulls me up with him.

My heart skips a beat, as the feeling of worriedness begins to take over all my other feelings. I feel scared, frightened in fact of what he has to say. Is he going to break up with me? With that question circulating inside my mind, I begin to panic even more now.

_Calm it Bella. Jacob loves you, and only you._

"Have you been feeling, empty, whenever we're apart? Or whenever we're together that nothing else matters, just us?"

I nod at him. I feel that all the time. It kills me to be away from him, but when I'm with him – like now – I feel whole again and that he's the only person I need to survive. He's everything; he's my life.

"Look Bells, there's been something I've been meaning to tell you for a long time", he pauses for a second, "When a, vampire, finds his mate, they stay with them forever, and that happens to werewolves too, but it's called something else, so what I've been trying to tell you, is–".

He stops in mind-sentence and for some reason he can't bring himself to say the next few words. Maybe he's scared, like I am. I bring my hand up to his cheek, his warm cheek.

"Jake, you know you can tell me anything, and I will never leave you", I smiles at him.

"When we first looked into each other's eyes in the meadow", he breathes in deeply, "I imprinted on you".

Before he can continue a loud ripping sound echoes through the forest. Both our heads flick up simultaneously, as a large tree flies over our heads and crashes into the debris below the hill. I gasp and jump to my feet just in time to see Edward dash over to Jacob.

"You what!?" He yells at Jacob.

Edward grabs him by the throat and lifts him high into the air. I know I should help him, but I'm frozen in my place, too scared to do anything. I've never seen this side of Edward before; his monster within him.

"You'll wish you never phased when I'm finished with you!" Edward roars.

I can't take it anymore.

Fearing for Jacob's life I race over to him as my heart pounds against my chest and sweat coats my forehead. But before I can do anything Edward's anger grows and he throws Jacob off the cliff, using as much force as possible to guarantee it doesn't end well for him.

Tears gush out of my eyes.

Just when everything is starting to seem perfect, Edward returns, and ruins my life.

Once again.

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**A/n – Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Please review! **


	10. Prologue – Book Two – Edward

******A/n – Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does!**

**This is Book Two! Basically the first eight chapters of this part are going to be the first book, but in Edward's point of view and what happened to him, then the next eight chapters after in this book are going to be what happened after the end of the first book! :) Then the third book/part will follow on properly from book two! **

**I'm writing this book, because I bet most of you are probably wondering what happened to Edward! **

**If you have an questions don't hesitate to PM me! :)**

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**'You can live without money, but you cannot live without the one you love...' - Unknown.**

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**Book Two - Edward**

**Prologue **

I gulp as Bella stares up at me; her eyes wide in confusion wondering why I have brought her here. If only I could read her mind, then I would know what she is thinking. What I'm about to do is terrible, but I know that we could never make this relationship properly work.

"I'm breaking up with you Bella", I tell her like it is; there's no point pretending anymore.

"What?" She manages to croak out one simple word.

I don't blame her. What is she supposed to say in a situation like this? What am I even supposed to say next too? I rack my brain for ideas, but all I seem to come up with is the most obvious answer. Seen as my mind is completely empty at the moment. I have to go with it.

"For your own safety", I reply.

She takes the easier option this time, and doesn't answer me. I can see that she's struggling not to cry, but what she doesn't realise is that it's even worse for me. By now, if I was still human, I would be crying waterfalls right now.

Bella and I lock gazes. I stare deep into her rich chocolate eyes, as her mahogany hair flows in the gentle breeze. She truly is beautiful; perfect even. Just admiring her makes me begin to regret my decision about leaving her, but I know it would have had to happen sooner or later.

I'm a vampire; a born killing machine. I could kill her instantly if I wanted to, or even by accident if I'm near an open wound that has her sweet smelling blood oozing out of it . . .

_Stop it Edward!_

I return my gaze to Bella and notice she's crying. I truly am a monster - I've made her cry. Feeling guilty, I reach up and wipe her tears away. The moisture soaks into my granite skin, and as our surfaces collide, my hand burns from high temperature of her skin compared to mine.

"Goodbye Bella", I lean in closer to her and brush my lips over her neck, just to test my control.

Even then, I'm fighting the urge to sink my teeth into her. If I ever hurt her or even killed her for that matter; I would never forgive myself. I would have to go to the Volturi. I would kill myself. I couldn't live with the guilt. At least, if I leave her I'll know she'll be in safe hands; with her friends and family.

I step away from her quickly before I do end up harming her.

"I love you, forever and always", I whisper, knowing what I said is the whole truth.

Before she can reach out to stop me, I race away into the trees and don't look back.

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**A/n - So how was it? Am I good in Edward's POV? Please let me know in a review! :D**


	11. Chapter 9 – Regrets

**A/n – Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does!**

**This is basically a chap about Edward's regrets and stuff . . . Edward's thoughts he hears are in italics! There may be a funny part in here, but it's not actually supposed to be funny, it's to make you feel sorry for Edward, even though he's a jerk for leaving Bella… ;)**

**NOTICE . . . I'm letting you in on a little secret . . . I'm planning on turning Broken into a three part series, but I'm not 100% sure . . . Let me know what you think of the idea!**

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**Chapter Nine – Regrets**

"Did you do it?" Alice enters my room as a look of concern flashes in her eyes. _If you'd rather not talk about I'll leave you alone . . . _

Hoping that she'll take the hint and realise that she's right, I'd rather be alone, I growl at her, but much to my displeasure, for some reason she doesn't. That's the problem with Alice. She's always bubbly no matter what. Nothing seems to upset her, unless of course you count when she's experiencing a fashion crisis – in her words not mine.

"So", she begins. _How did she react?_

I glare at her before continuing.

"Who's the future-seer here?" I scowl and twist away from her on my sofa.

"But that's not the point, don't you want to talk about your feelin–".

Not wanting to talk about my feelings with Alice, I react quickly before she's able to finish her sentence and switch on my stereo. One of my favourite songs; Claire De Lune by Debussy blasts through the room and just to annoy Alice, I turn it up to full volume.

_Edward Anthony Mason Cullen! Do not ignore me when I'm talking to you! _

And that's the last I hear from Alice. Her thoughts suddenly stop, and that's when I realise I've successfully managed to tune her out long enough to make her feel unwelcome. Only, now I know that because she's gone, the rest of my family will try to get through to me.

But nobody, not even my family, understands me.

I'm complicated. Too complicated. My feelings constantly change. One moment I'm able to ignore the monster inside of me and stay close to _her,_ however other times, it's just too much for me.

I believed that leaving _her_ was the right thing to do, but now I'm regretting everything.

When I told her about my plans; she looked so heart broken. If I had cried during that moment as well, I would have. Now that image is always in my mind, making me feel like I'm a heartless monster. I shouldn't have done that to her. I will never forgive myself.

"Edward", a voice whispers my name; a voice very similar to _her_s.

I turn the music off, but the voice doesn't speak again like I secretly hoped it would. It sounded familiar. Very familiar. I suspect it's just one of my family members checking up on me; most likely Esme – of course it wouldn't be _her._ Would it?

Bearing that thought in mind, I ignore it, as if it had never happened. Eager to continue listening to my favourite song, I reach out for the remote, but before I can, someone knocks at the door. My head automatically flicks up, and there, in the doorway, I see _her_.

Bella.

She looks even more beautiful than I remember. Her dark hair flows over her pale skin and her chocolate eyes sit perfectly in the centre of her heart-shaped face. I miss her. So much. And I regret everything I've done to hurt her.

I'm despicable. Truly despicable. How could I hurt someone; someone I love with all my heart?

"Edward", she breathes, "We need to talk".

But I know I don't want to talk. I just want her. To kiss her one last time. To tell her that I love her still, and then maybe, just maybe she'll forgive me. At least, that's what I hope.

"No, don't talk", I order her.

Feeling like I've been given a second chance with her – even though I don't deserve it – I lift her high into the air and stare deep into her eyes. I lean in closer to her, ready to kiss her properly, because with her by my side forever, I know I can accomplish the impossible.

My lips edge closer to hers, but then the unthinkable happens. Angrily, she slaps me around the mouth and shoves me away from her. As I tumble backwards, smashing into my wall, I feel as if my heart has been ripped in half.

I force myself up only to see Rosalie standing there. Not Bella. I gulp. I had imagined the whole thing. Bella isn't in my room – Rosalie is. I had thought she was there, but my mind must have created an image of her because I'm missing her so much. My mind had replaced Rosalie with Bella. At least I think so.

Now, I can only hope that she's only just entered my room.

"What is wrong with you Edward!?" She screams at me furiously, "What the hell are you playing at!?" _Trying to kiss me? I only came to see if you were ok! _

Well that cleared up one thing. I was wrong.

Emmett calmly enters my room, obviously wondering what all the fuss is about. He looks at Rosalie, then to me, and back again. _Whoa, what happened here?_ He continues to stare at me, waiting for an answer. But I don't give him what he wants.

"He tried to kiss me!" Rosalie growls, "Can you believe it?" _You didn't waste your time after Bella!_

I feel the urge to kill her for that spiteful comment. But I know I can't. Emmett would probably kill me after. In a way, however, that might be a positive thing. Bella is my sunshine; she's what made my life worth living every day. Without the one I love, life isn't worth living.

"I'm sure it wasn't like that Rosalie", Emmett attempts to calm her down, but it's definitely isn't working, "Why would Edward want to kiss you anyway? He's clearly still in love with Be–".

"Excuse me!?" She shrieks, "Are you saying I'm not good enough? "

_Here she goes again . . ._

"Because that's what it sounds like you're saying! You know what, you're unbelievable!" _You're just as bad as Edward!_

Rosalie storms off back to her bedroom and slams the door behind her. She's probably broken the hinges on the door; this isn't the first time she's stormed off like that. She's always in a bad mood, but I don't know why. At least she has Emmett; someone who cares about her, understands her and will love her no matter what. She has everything I wish I had.

Emmett looks at me guiltily. _I'm sorry about her storming off like that. You know how she is sometimes . . . _I don't know why he's apologizing for Rosalie. He's done nothing wrong. It's her who has. If she had just given me a chance to explain then she wouldn't be in this mess; she and Emmett wouldn't have had an argument over nothing.

However, Rosalie usually doesn't sulk for long after an argument with Emmett. If she has a falling out with another family member; it's a completely different story. Sometimes she doesn't speak to us for days, weeks even – but that's only over something major.

"What actually happened Edward? Between you and Rosalie?" He asks me. _Please tell me you didn't come onto my wife and that she's lying, please tell me . . ._

I sigh knowing full well that I have to tell him the truth – he'll find out sooner or later from Rosalie. I have to tell him my side of the story before he hears hers properly – there's no way he'll side with me when another argument happens between us; if he knows what's good for him that is.

"I did Emmett", he looks back at me astonished, "But I didn't know what I was doing!" I add quickly, not wanting him to storm out like Rosalie did.

_So, you're telling me you came onto my wife and didn't realise?_ He snorts, finding it hard to believe anything I'm saying. I don't blame him – in his situation I wouldn't trust myself either. What I'm saying doesn't even make sense.

"I thought she was Bella, ok?" He shoots a confused look at me.

He laughs. Really loudly. It hurts my feelings a bit, knowing that he thinks I'm joking. I continue to stare at him with a straight face, indicating that everything I'm saying is the truth. He looks up at me and tilts his head to one side sheepishly. _Oh, you're not joking . . ._

"My mind, it created a mental image of Bella – but instead of it showing her as a ghostly figure, it made me believe Rosalie was actually Bella", I explain, as Emmett sits there nodding his head, "So, I thought Rosalie was Bella, and so, I tried to kiss her".

Emmett doesn't laugh this time, but just smiles._ I get it. Well, kind of anyway._

"That's why I was on the floor when you came into the room", I add.

In a way, I feel glad that I've told Emmett the truth, but I know I won't be hearing the last of what happened today. Rosalie will make sure that I'll feel guilty about it every day for the rest of my miserable life, but she probably won't stop there. She will definitely tell the rest of the family, and make it seem like a much bigger deal than it is.

"Well", Emmett stands up and pats me on the shoulder, "Next time your mind decides to create an image of Bella, just make sure you don't kiss my wife". _You don't want to get on the bad side of her again. Trust me on this one . . ._

As Emmett leaves my room, Jasper enters it. I groan. The only thing Jasper is here for is to talk about my feelings, and today, that's the last thing I want to do. I've always hated sharing my feelings with other people. I don't really have a reason why, I just hate doing it.

_No, I'm not here to talk about your feelings Edward, if that's what you're wondering_.

I don't say anything. I'm surprised at how he knew that already. Sometimes I wonder if he's the mind-reader here and not me. He's able to read me like a book, but I guess his power helps him too. Most likely I was probably feeling worried and he guessed.

"Then why are you here?" I mumble.

My question to Jasper sounded rude, but I don't feel guilty about it. He should leave me alone, and then I wouldn't be so grouchy towards him. He always seems to visit me when I'm feeling down, not when I'm a bit happier. If he talked to me then, I would try and at least make an effort to start the conversation.

"What was all that about?" He sits down next to me on my sofa. _With Rosalie? I heard it from downstairs._

I sigh. The whole family probably knows about the incident now if Jasper heard. Esme or Carlisle will surely try to persuade me to talk to them now. Could my life get any better?

"I tried to kiss her", I look at him. _You what?_ He stares at me surprised, "I thought she was Bella, my mind created this image or something", I sigh, "Oh you know what, just forget it".

Feeling agitated by Jasper's presence I shuffle away from him and then, for some odd reason, I feel a wave of happiness take over me. For a moment, I wonder where it's coming from, but then I realise it's Jasper using his power. He's attempting to make me feel better.

Despite his best efforts, it's not working. I'm too miserable to be fixed. Nothing or no one has the ability to help me. _You're impossible. You know that? _Jasper laughs slightly, and I glare at him causing him to instantly stop.

"Did you upset Alice? I'm not accusing you or anything; she just seemed a bit upset". _She's usually really happy, and since she left your room feeling sad . . ._

"I just ignored her ok? Now just leave me alone?" I growl.

Jasper doesn't respond; I suspect I've hurt his feelings too. Why doesn't any of my family take the hint? I want to be left alone. If they all left me be, then I wouldn't upset anyone.

_Now I have a pretty good idea of why Alice left here upset. _

He sighs knowingly and stands up ready to leave. As if he's trying to make me feel better, he pats me on the back and passes me the remote for my stereo, already knowing that I was planning to turn it back on after he left. I snatch it from him, but smile at him gratefully all the same.

_Jasper's been in there an awful long time, maybe he's got through to him? _

Esme's worried thoughts enter my head. She's not directly talking to me which already tells me that she thinks I can't hear her thoughts in other rooms. I've already explained to her that I'm able to hear people's thoughts in another house if I desired to.

Hearing my family's thoughts downstairs is easy too – even though it can sometimes come at a strain depending where I am in the house – but now I've become better at tuning those out which means I'm sometimes able to get some peace.

As Jasper leaves my room, I instantly switch on my stereo to full volume. I don't want to talk to Esme. Although I know she's only trying to help me through it because she loves and cares about me, sometimes I just want to be left alone.

Esme walks into my room and smiles at me warmly. I hate being horrible to her, she's always so kind, but I know if I start talking to her she won't leave.

"Look, Esme, I don't want to talk, so please can you just g–".

"I'm not here for that, Edward", she interrupts me, "Carlisle is holding a family meeting downstairs", she explains. _Nobody wanted to tell you apart from me._

She wraps an arm around me lovingly, as she sits next to me on my sofa. _What have you done to upset everyone?_ I sigh and don't answer her. She'll just scold me for being mean to my siblings, even though I can't help it.

Carefully, she takes my hand in hers and squeezes it comfortingly as I attempt to force out a fake smile for her. She returns the smile, which can only mean she bought my convincing pretending to be happy.

"I'll, well, we'll be waiting for you downstairs", she exits my room, content with my less depressed attitude. _Looks like I managed to lift his mood! I just hate seeing him upset like this . . ._

Reluctantly, I drag myself downstairs into the living room where most of my family is waiting for me. Esme is standing hand in hand with Carlisle, and is whispering something to him about my feelings about everything. Jasper and Emmett are trying not to look at me, while Rosalie is standing there doing the complete opposite – she's glaring at me.

My eyes dart around searching for Alice, but I can't seem to find her anywhere. I frown, realising it probably has something to do with our _chat_ earlier. _Alice has gone hunting, Edward, in case you're wondering, she didn't want to face you, but she already knows what is happening anyway._

"We're leaving", Carlisle announces and I look up at him. _You can't stay close to her anymore Edward, look at the state you're in._

My family exchange glances and then direct their attention back to Carlisle, waiting to hear where we're going. But before he can, Rosalie interrupts.

"I'm sick of it! I'm sick of all of you! Why do we have to leave just because of him!?" She glares at me. _I hate you Edward Cullen! First you kiss me and now you make us leave! Are you intent on ruining my life!?_

Emmett jumps to his feet, already knowing what his wife is plotting. _Oh no. Please tell me she's not going to do what I think she is . . ._ But before he can prevent her actions, she dives through the air heading straight for me. Knowing full well Carlisle and Esme will disapprove of everything; I leap through the air and grab Rosalie by the shoulders.

Using as much strength as possible, I shove her down onto to the coffee table, which shatters below us and I lock gazes with Rosalie. She rolls me over onto my back, and bares her teeth, ready to sink them into me.

Not wanting to live with the shame of being beaten by Rosalie; I struggle frantically under her grip, but I she won't give in. _I swear to God I'm not letting you go this time Edward! I hate you so much!_ Her promise is broken instantly after it leaves her lips, as Emmett lifts her off of me. I smile up at her mockingly and she growls at me, before storming off to her room.

Esme rushes to my side, and at first I think she's going to help me up, however instead she begins examining the broken table. _Why do you always have to pick a fight with her?_ She sighs disapprovingly but helps me up anyway, like I thought was going to happen in the first place.

"So", I begin, "Where are we going?" I turn towards Carlisle again.

"Denali, we're going stay in Denali", he looks at me seeming like he's already regretting his decision. _With our cousins, and, Tanya . . ._

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**A/n – Thanks for reading and please review! :)**


	12. Chapter 10 – One Last Time

**A/n – Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does!**

**I'm sorry I haven't updated for a while! I've been ultra-busy! Literally! I'll try and update whenever I can!**

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**Chapter Ten – One Last Time **

I continue to stare at Carlisle; too shocked about his decision to even react properly. _Maybe, he doesn't like the idea?_ I snort at Carlisle's thoughts. Of course I hate the idea. Why would he even suggest something like this? Surely he realises that it won't end well. Tanya and I. Together. Under the same roof – these plans of his can only lead to trouble.

"You can't be serious?"

Alice bounces through the door and shoots me a smirk_. Hah! Serves you right! _Her thoughts and her actions both suggest that she's obviously satisfied with this as a comeuppance to my rude behaviour earlier. But, she probably would have seen it coming anyway, which links with why she didn't make a fuss about leaving me alone.

"I take it you told him, huh?" Alice twists around to face Carlisle, a bubbly expression on her face.

Carlisle just nods too worried about upsetting me to say anything more. _We don't have to go, but a change of scenery might be good . . ._ I study the faces of my family, hoping for them all to burst out laughing and to tell me that it's a joke, but they don't. Instead, they just stare back at me blankly, all wondering along the lines of the same thing.

_Good luck with Tanya, Eddie boy . . ._

_Your emotions are running wild Edward, but your mostly showing hate, and anger; a lot of anger. _

_Oooooooo! Tanya and Edward sitting in a tree!_

_Serves him right for kissing me. Hah!_

_I hope you're ok, Edward. Tell me you're ok. _

_Maybe we should go somewhere else . . ._

Out of all the thoughts I hear, Rosalie's are definitely the most spiteful; no doubt about it. She still hasn't forgiven me for the _misunderstanding _that occurred earlier. If she has just given me a chance to explain, then she would understand why it happened and would stop hating me for something that wasn't entirely my fault.

Everyone's thoughts continue to buzz around in my head and they won't stop. I attempt to focus on one thing, and that way I'll be able to tune out what everyone else is thinking. Bella's Lullaby is the first thing that pops into my head.

As my family continue to pound my head with thoughts, I begin to silently hum the tune to Bella's Lullaby inside my head. I recite the notes to myself one by one; Bb–A–G–E–D–G–B–A–B–.

"Edward?" A caring voice breaks into my recital.

"Huh?" I absentmindedly respond, not concentrating on anything apart from the notes.

My eyes try to focus on the person in front of me, but for some strange reason the picture is blurry. For a moment, I wonder if I'm crying, until my mind sets me straight and I realise that vampires can't cry, only humans can.

I close my eyes and continue humming_ her_ song, secretly hoping that the person attempting to talk to me will leave me alone. Yet again, it doesn't happen.

"Edward darling, can you hear me?" The voice is persistent; determined not to give up on me.

Feeling rather annoyed, I snap out of my trance, flicking my eyes open in the process. A sudden urge to shout at the person disturbing me rushes through my body, but quickly softens after my vision clears, revealing Esme's concerned face before me.

Sighing, I smile slightly at Esme, hoping she'll fall for my fake feelings. She's the last person I want to hurt in my family; she always there for me, and I know deep down in my heart – if I still have one, that is – that she only wants what's best for me.

"I'm fine Esme." _Are you sure? You can tell me if you want. Only if you want to of course._

She's careful about what she says to me, because like all of family, she too knows about my reluctance to confide in others about my feelings.

Carlisle and Esme exchange worried glances. I can tell they're worried about me – and they have every right to be. Ever since I hurt Bella like that I've been having suicidal thoughts. If anything happens to her during my absence, well, let's just say I won't be able to live with the guilt, or in fact even live all together.

Even though we've separated now, I still love her, with all my heart, and it pains me to know that now, right this minute, she could be in somebody else arms. A part of me will always love her no matter what; she's what I live for now – she's my everything, she's my life.

And although it pains me to say it, that's why Carlisle is right. I have to leave. Just being in this town makes me think of her. The brown bark on the trees; her favourite colour, her scent in my car; I can't seem to hide it with air fresheners, and the meadow, our meadow. I can't stop thinking about it.

"Fine", I say reluctantly, knowing that I'm only agreeing for my own selfish reasons.

Esme, Carlisle and the rest of my family, look at me confused. I sigh, remembering that I've been silent for a long time now, and that everyone has probably moved on from the subject of leaving Forks_. What's fine Edward? What are you talking about? _

"Fine, I'll come to Denali, I have to leave here anyway", I attempt to block out my remaining thoughts about Bella. "But first I need to run some errands".

Carlisle nods approving and I stand up focusing on my list of errands. As I climb into my much loved Volvo Bella's scent hits my nose. In an attempt to ignore it, I repeat my four tasks inside my mind and start up the engine.

Number one: Visit our meadow, one last time to collect some flowers.

Number Two: Visit Bella – or just her bedroom – one last time, and leave her the flowers.

Number Three: Hunt.

Number Four: Dispose of my Volvo.

Out of all my errands, number three definitely has to be the hardest. I love my Volvo, almost as much as I love Bella. It's like a second home to me; it's the only place where I can escape my family's thoughts and have some much needed alone time. Its speed is unbelievably fast, and I don't think I'll ever find a car just like it.

But, despite all of this, it has to go. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get Bella's scent out of my car. Her scent is so sweet. It lures out the monster within me. I'm afraid of what I'll do if I continue to be exposed to her scent like this.

Just being in this car, with this sweet, sweet scent urges me to hunt her down, and suck the blood out of her. But I know that I can't let that happen. Craving her blood is something I can live with, but killing her, now that is something I could never forgive myself for.

Speeding past the other houses, I return my gaze to the road, as path leading to the meadow's entrance comes into view. The familiar route pops into my head and I exit my car, ensuring it's firmly locked. Even though I'll be disposing of it soon, if a car with a maximum speed of around three hundred miles per hour ended up being used by a human, I'll be held responsible for all the damage that's caused, since the car's registered to my name.

I take a moment to familiarize myself with my new surroundings by only travelling at human speed. It begins to quickly bore me. I sigh, wondering how humans are able to live such a slow lifestyle. My speed increases rapidly, and I speed past the trees allowing my thoughts to overwhelm me.

Smiling, I admire the beauty of the forest. With my enhanced eye sight ability, everything seems to be in HD; in fact, I could even go one further and say that it's better than that. Although I regretted becoming a vampire during my new born process, now I'm glad Carlisle changed me. Being a vampire isn't perfect, but it has its highs, and lows – definitely lows.

Without warning, my nose picks up the scent of humans. The monster inside me growls, and rages inside its cage which I refuse to open. I shut off my breathing and continue to race through the forest towards the meadow, but in the opposite direction of humans.

My nose begins to feel uncomfortable – I hate going without a sense of smell – but I keep it this way knowing that if I expose myself to their scents again, I'll surely let the monster loose. My wandering eyes freeze over the familiar entrance to the meadow. In an instant, I find myself at the fern curtain which separates its beauty from the dark dismal forest I'm currently in.

Carefully, I peel away the curtain and step into the meadow. It's just as beautiful as I remember. Different shades of white, purple and yellow flowers are scattered around the luscious green grass and the light perfectly highlights the centre, where a couple are staring into each other's eyes.

Wait. What?

I edge closer to the middle of the meadow, only to find that my vision isn't playing tricks on me. There, lying on the grass, with the flowers acting as a cushion for them, is a couple. Clear as daylight.

For some reason, they haven't noticed my presence yet. So, instead of interrupting them, I stand there, studying them. The boy, on the left, has bronze coloured hair. His skin is pale, very pale in fact, and his eyes are a golden swirling colour.

The girl, on the other hand, is beyond perfect. Her mahogany hair flows flawlessly over her shoulders shaping her heart face, and her skin is oddly pale, but not as pale as the boy's skin. Her lips are just a bit out of proportion for her face and her eyes . . . Her eyes. They're the perfect shade of brown, just like her hair. They're beautiful, truly beautiful.

I shake my head violently, trying to block out the girl's beauty. I'm mesmerised by her, but for some strange reason, she doesn't have a scent. And neither does the boy.

Cautiously, I approach the pair, knowing full well what I'm doing is wrong, and could easily reveal our secret to humans. All the same, my eyes stay fixed on both of them, watching for any sudden movement and I stand in front of them, waiting for the shock. The sun shines onto my skin, causing it to sparkle, but the couple don't move from their position.

The girl begins to flicker slightly, like a TV does when it's losing its signal, and she begins to slowly fade away. I blink repeatedly, trying to make sense of the situation I'm in, but when my eyes reopen, she's gone. And so is the boy.

Feeling confused, I attempt to remember the couple. I bring up an image of them in my mind. They look familiar, very familiar. In fact, the girl seems very similar to Bella, and the boy . . . He looks like me.

Tangled in my thoughts about the couple, I bend down and pick a flower of each colour for Bella. Cutting each one at the bottom of the stem, so they're long, I wrap a blade of grass around them, securing them tightly. I know it looks simple, but the flowers are so much more than that.

I'm hoping that Bella will realise the hidden meaning about them. The yellow flower represents the sun. The sun that caused my skin to glitter, on the first day we visited this meadow. The purple flower represents the feeling of calm. How after a few months of spending time with her, I no longer felt pain around her, but sometimes, only sometimes, I felt calm.

And the white flower. It represents purity. How pure Bella is. And that I'm nothing like her, because my heart is black. I sigh. Deep down inside I knew that our relationship was doomed from the start; I just refused to believe it.

Content with my flower bunch, I raise up from my crouch and after a few simple strides, I'm by the curtain again. I stare out into the distance. I'm going to miss visiting here, or should I say, I'm going to miss visiting here with . . . _Her._

Angry at myself for thinking about . . . Bella again I punch the nearest tree beside me. My knuckles crunch into the wood, but I feel no pain; the anger inside me seems to soften. A smile creeps onto my face as I inhale the scent of humans again.

No Edward! Leave it!

I nod, almost agreeing with myself, and again I race off in the opposite direction to the scent; in the direction of Bella's house.

* * *

The scent of Bella slaps me in the face as I freeze outside her house. I block off my sense of smell knowing that her scent inside must be so strong since I'm already able to catch it outside. I shudder at the thought of letting the monster loose. No. I will be strong.

Feeling proud of myself for not attacking the humans earlier, I leap onto the tree outside of Bella's window. Carefully, I ease the window open and check behind myself just in case anyone is watching me. Luckily, no one is. Bearing that thought in mind, I launch myself from the tree and land gracefully inside Bella's bedroom without causing so much as a creak.

Studying the room, I make my way over to her desk where her computer sits. Nothing in her room has changed, nor been moved. Everything is exactly the same since I last came in here. And that was a long time ago.

I groan. This room brings back memories. Painful memories of us; they cause my heart to bleed. Just thinking about her makes me want to d–

Stop it Edward!

Nodding, I place the flowers on her keyboard attached to her computer and quickly exit the room. I don't know how much longer I could have lasted in there; it was terrible. If I could still cry, I would be right now; crying waterfalls.

Again, I check to see if anyone has witnessed my previous actions, and fortunately, nobody has. Knowing I'm alone and won't be detected, I race back into the forest. The same human scent catches my nose, but this time, I don't resist it.

A sudden desire for the taste of human blood grows inside of me and lures me closer to the oblivious humans. I don't try to fight the monster inside, but I leave it be. It roars inside of me, and then, it breaks free.

My fangs line with venom and the monster screams for the taste of blood. And for some reason, this time, I give into everything Carlisle has taught me, and allow my instincts to take over.

I leap forward onto one of the humans before me and wrestle him easily to the ground. The venom in my mouth grows and I sink my teeth into his flesh. I suck up his blood and a delicious taste mixes with my venom.

The hunger inside me grows as I finish draining the last of the helpless man's blood. I look up from my meal to find a little girl backing away from me. Her eyes are bloodshot red, swollen around it, and her cheeks are bright red covered in tear stains. She's quivering; frightened of me. That's when the truth of what I've become – of what I've let myself become – dawns on me.

Feeling horrific, I attempt to approach the girl, but she backs away again.

"Wh–a–t–di–d–y–ou–d–o–t–o–my–dad–dy?" The little girl, who only seems around seven, stutters uneasily.

I don't say anything. I'm too ashamed of myself to even speak. But I know that I have to destroy the evidence. At the speed of light I'm by her side. Before she can even react properly, I plunge my teeth into her neck and begin to suck away the evidence.

No scream leaves her cracked lips as I suck away the last of her life and drop her lifeless body carelessly onto the ground. My heart begins to ache and I feel deep sorrow for what I have done, but I know they're beyond help.

My mind suddenly stops thinking about the dead bodies before me. It begins to focus on my eyes. My eyes which won't be golden anymore. But they'll be red. The colour of blood, human blood.

I fumble around in my pocket for my phone and bring it up to my eyes. I stare at them through its reflection, and breathe a small sigh of relief. My eyes are still golden – only they're a bit darker than usual. Surely my family won't notice that?

Without bothering to clean up after myself, I dash back to my car, not caring if anyone spots me. I'm still too angry at myself for allowing the monster to win again. The little girl and her father didn't deserve what happened to them today; I'm horrible.

I growl to myself and start my car for the last time. Heading towards the cliff which leads into the ocean, I turn the music up on full blast and inhale Bella's beautiful scent. In what seems like only a few seconds, I arrive at the edge of the cliff.

As the wind howls, I step out of my car and stare at it one last time. The waves below crash against the cliff's edge and I know from the strength of them, that they will easily dispose of the car for me. I pat it on the roof lovingly. For some reason, it's killing me to part from it, but I know that Bella's scent will never be gone from it.

My CD continues to play inside my car, but I don't remove it from it. I decide to leave it there as a leaving present. I smile at it one last time, and then I effortlessly push it into the roaring waves below . . .

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**A/n – Remember the girl Edward 'killed' she might be important later…**


	13. Chapter 11 – Moving In

**A/n – Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does!**

**The girl Edward 'killed' who _might_ be coming back in the story later is going to be an original character - no Edward isn't going to get with her though . . . :) **

* * *

**Chapter Eleven – Moving In**

Jasper's Ducati 848 motorcycle screeches to a stop beside me as I step out of from the back of Carlisle's car onto the snow blanket below. Since my car miraculously disappeared – according to my family members – I had to ride in the back of Carlisle's black Mercedes, despite my urge to ride in driver's seat. I hate travelling by car, and not being a driver.

Emmett pulls up beside Jasper in his Jeep and hops out smiling at the snow ground. He makes his way over to the boot as Alice and Jasper unmounts from their ride. Alice – as bubbly as she always is – skips over to the back of the Jeep's boot and begins to unload her suitcases; and there are a lot of them.

Since Alice arrived here in Denali via Jasper's motorcycle – Emmett offered to transport her belongings, only before he made the offer, he didn't realise just how much Alice was planning to bring. In five suitcases, she had managed to bring all of her clothes; let me rephrase that, she had managed to bring _only_ her clothes in five suitcases.

In the other six she had packed her make-up and her other personal belongings; however, despite her over-the-top amount of suitcases, she was still forced to leave behind some of her items.

The rest of my family and I had packed normally, with a limit of only one suitcase per person; apart from Rosalie – she needed a full suitcase just for her beauty products. It feels uneasy knowing that my whole life; just my music and clothes – can easily be crammed into one suitcase.

Most of my belongings are still at home in Forks. I didn't pack everything, since Carlisle's decision about staying here might change soon and Alice will probably design a new wardrobe for everyone over the course of a few days.

"Can someone please help me with my suitcases?" Alice interrupts my thoughts as she struggles to carry all eleven suitcases. _Edward get over here now! You only have one!_

I growl, not feeling very helpful today and don't move from my position. Esme shoots me a disapproving look from her position next to Alice. Why does she always have to make me feel so guilty? I sigh, but reluctantly drag myself over to her, my own suitcase trailing along impatiently behind me.

A triumphant smile appears across Alice's face. _Maybe I might forgive you for ignoring me earlier if you help me . . . Nicely. _She winks at me, but instead of responding to her comment, again I ignore her and pick up three of her suitcases.

Esme smiles at me; appreciative of me for helping eventually. _Well at least one of Alice's brothers decided to help._ She directs her gaze towards Emmett and Jasper who are in the middle of an intense mini snowball fight.

Hiding behind a tree is Jasper, scooping up as much snow as possible and rolling it into a giant supreme snowball. Emmett, on the other hand, is in the middle of the Denali's driveway pounding smaller shaped snowballs at Jasper's hiding place, completely unaware of the master snowball he's secretly creating.

_My bets are on Rosalie. _Alice predicts. My brow furrows as I turn my head to look at my sister who is innocently unloading her two suitcases from the back of Emmett's jeep. My gaze shifts back to Alice, but all she does is smile knowingly.

Confused, I check back in on Jasper. The next events happen quickly – too quickly for me to properly keep up. One second Jasper is on the ground, and the next he's standing upright, aiming his snowball; his surprisingly large snowball at Emmett. As the snowball flies through the air, Emmett yelps and ducks in the nick of time, only for the snowball to miss him, and smash straight into Rosalie's face.

For a moment, everything is calm. Rosalie closes her eyes, as if trying to calm herself, but you don't have to be a genius to know it isn't working. _Breathe Rosalie. Breathe. You don't have to lose it. You don't have to lose it._ Her thoughts aren't very effective either.

Slowly, Rosalie crouches down to the floor and begins to create two snowballs; much bigger than Jasper's. All our eyes are fixed on her, watching her every move, but nobody tries to stop her. We all know better than to annoy her when she's angry – the results are life-threatening. Literally.

I know from experience.

Nobody speaks for the next few seconds. In fact, nobody even breathes. We're all too frightened of what Rosalie's planning. She's clever. Clever in the fact that she's occupied her mind by repeating a list of human food which ensures I won't be able to hear any other thoughts.

"I'm going to kill both of you!" Rosalie screeches her eyes red with fury.

Emmett and Jasper take one look at each other, and bolt into a sprint. Rosalie, hot on their tails, continues to screech at them as they lead her further away from us and she launches the two snowballs at them.

As if planned, the snowballs hit her targets successfully, and they both crumple to the floor in heaps next to each other, laughing with joy – or pain for that matter. _Ow. My head . . ._ Emmett growls._ Damn it. Why did Emmett have to duck? _

I laugh at their thoughts. I don't know why they even bothered to attempt to escape Rosalie; nobody ever does, even her past fiancé Royce King – before she was a vampire – received his comeuppance in the end.

Next time, Jasper might think twice before he throws a snowball at someone without checking if there's anyone behind his victim – especially Rosalie. The shame of being beaten by her once is bad enough, I don't think Jasper nor Emmett wants to endure it twice – they definitely won't be hearing the last of it.

"Told you so", Alice snickers as she skips past me, lugging another three of her suitcases behind her.

Smiling about the previous events – properly for the first time since I parted with Bella – I follow closely behind her, and my family; who haven't been battered by snowballs, copy us too. In a flash, we're on the Denali porch.

Since I'm at the front, I unhook my hand from around two of the suitcases, and clasp the rusty knocker in the centre of the door. But before I'm able to alert our cousins of our presence, the door swings open, shocking me in the process.

Irina appears in the doorway, an angry expression across her face. I don't need her thoughts to tell me that she's not happy to see me – or any of my family. _Oh look, it's the glitter boy mind-reader and his stuck-up family! The family who killed my Laurent!_ She glares daggers at me.

"Irina!" Tanya yells, "Leave them alone! I'm sure they didn't do anything to Laurent!" She's by her sister's side in an instant.

She smiles at me as we lock gazes for a moment. _Hey Edward. Long-time no see huh?_ She thinks up an image of last time we met – when she tried to seduce me. I shudder at the memory. Not wanting to give her any hints about _**us**_ – not that there is an us anyway – I break our eye contact, returning my gaze back down to Irina.

Scowling, she shoves her way past me, and begins to storm off. Kate appears in the door way, and races after Irina, a frown across her face.

"Irina!" Kate copies Tanya's previous attempts, "Why don't you just ask them instead of storming off like that?" _Ugh. You never give anyone a chance!_

Concern flashes in Kate's eyes as Irina continues to storm off; completely against the idea of asking us properly. If she did, she would find that none of us actually know anything about Laurent's death. But, if he is dead, like she says she is that means Bella is no longer in danger, and now I don't have to worry about her as much.

"Sorry amigos", Carmen approaches us, hand in hand with her mate, Eleazer, "She's a bit, sensitive, I'm sure she's just as happy to have you here as we are"._ I hope Kate gets through to her; no one else seems to be able to._

Carmen opens an arm out, welcoming us inside the house. I step forward, grinning, but before I can properly enter the house Alice dashes in front of me with Jasper following closely behind.

"Wow", she muses and twists back round to Carmen. _This is definitely better than our house!_ I love it! "Where's my room?"

Esme's smiles quickly turns to a frown, and she opens her mouth, ready to scold Alice for being too rude, but before she can, Carmen bursts in laughter. Not hysterical laughter, but much quieter laughter, and I can tell she finds Alice's eagerness amusing.

I pivot on my foot back to face Kate and Irina. They're screaming at each other now. Both engaged in a proper argument. I listen in closely to their conversation, as I walk further out of the house, interested in why she thinks we're behind Laurent's death.

"Leave me alone Kate!" Irina growls at her sister, her teeth showing, and venom dripping, "It has to be them! They've wanted to kill him ever since James hunted their precious human pet!"_ What's so special about that Bella anyway? She's human! _

Cursing under my breath, I catch Irina's gaze. She glares at me, again; no change there then, and shoves Kate away to the floor. She takes one last angry look at me, and then flees, knowing that no one else is going to follow her.

From the floor, Kate stares off into the distance. Her fingers tremble, and I can tell she's upset – really upset. _Damn it. I should have shocked her when I had the chance! _A look of anger and regret flashes across her face. I can't help but feel sorry for her. She doesn't deserve this.

The sound of a door opening snaps me into reality, as Kate stands back up, brushing the dirt from her clothes. She looks up, and just like Irina did, she locks gazes with me. I smile at her sympathetically, but she breaks our gaze; she's not in the mood for socializing; just like I wasn't before.

"Umm, Edward?" I twist around only to turn face to face with Eleazer. _Tanya's announcing which rooms we'll be staying in. _

I nod gratefully. At least someone bothered to tell me. Not even my family did; but I don't blame them. I haven't been that pleasant to them recently. I'm always angry and I'd rather be on my own. The truth is I can't help it. I'm broken without Bella.

"Oh, Edward, nice of you to join us", Esme smiles.

If it was anyone else but Esme who had just spoken that, I would have thought they were being sarcastic, but because it's beyond her nature to do that, I think better of it. _Sit down_. She pats the spare seat beside her, and I follow her wishes_. Tanya's telling us which rooms we'll all be taking. _

"We have six rooms in the house", Tanya stares at me, causing me to squirm in my seat and feel uncomfortable, "My room, Kate's, Irina's, Carmen and Eleazer's, and two spare rooms". _Take a guess at where you'll be staying Edward. I heard about yours and Bella's break up._

Alice grins at me. _I get the biggest room! And . . . Well, I don't think you want to know where you're going to be staying . . . _She raises her eyebrows and giggles slightly. I don't need her visions to tell me where I will be staying; it's already crystal clear; Tanya's made sure of that already.

"The biggest room in the house is Irina's, and I don't think she'll be staying here while you all are", she looks over to Kate, who's just come in from outside, and she nods, agreeing with her sister, "So, I think her room definitely has to go to Alice", Tanya eyes Alice's suitcases suspiciously. _Eleven suitcases? Seriously?_

Grinning at everyone, Alice does a quick victory dance and races upstairs with five of her suitcases tightly in her grasp. I laugh at her keenness. _I already know which room it is!_ Tanya makes her way over to the stairs, ready to tell Alice which room is hers, but I speak up before.

"She knows already", I hold up my hand signalling for her to stop in mid-action. _Oh yeah, her visions._

"Eleazer and Carmen need their privacy as a couple, so if you and Emmett take the first spare room, the second on the right", Tanya points and Rosalie, "And then you and Esme can take the second spare room, the first on the left", she turns to face Carlisle. _And now you're left Edward . . ._

Tanya smiles at them warmly, but they waste no more time in the living room, and eagerly carry their suitcases up to their designated rooms. _Traitors._ I think to myself. How could they leave me with her?

She's poison. She may look kind, helpful, loving even on the outside, but she's far from that. Her appearance and personality is definitely deceitful to those who don't know her like I do. My family, for instance, are grateful that she agreed to take us in at such short notice, but I'm not. I would have rather lived in the forest; in fact I could have easily survived in the forest. It has everything I could possibly need. Blood from the animals, and that's all I need for survival.

If my family new her like I do, they wouldn't continue to think so highly of her. She's a snake. Even when I was with Bella she tried to ruin our relationship. When I stayed in Denali for a few days because I couldn't take it in Forks, she tried to seduce me. But it didn't work. Of course.

And now here she's going to attempt it again. But it won't work. I won't let it work. I still love Bella, and nothing or nobody, not even Tanya, can ruin my love for her. It's unconditional, and as long as I live, it will never fade. The only problem is, is that I don't know if mine and Bella's feelings are mutual. After all I've done to her; I won't be surprised if she hates me.

"Edward?" Tanya, or should I say The Snake, interrupts my angry thoughts about her.

"What?" I snap back, not in the mood for her flirting. _No need to be rude._

Annoyed, I growl at her, but she just smiles back at me innocently. I scan the room only to find Kate's still in the room. A giant grin is plastered across her face, but that's only because she knows what Tanya is planning to do.

In the past, the two sisters, along with Irina used to seduce human men – they'd get through ten, even twenty in a week – without a care in the world for their feelings. Kate and Irina stopped long before Tanya did, because they became attached to some of their lovers who eventually passed away leaving them heartbroken.

Tanya, however, only stopped a few years ago. A few years ago when she met me. The first day we met was horrible, and I still remember it like it was yesterday, even though I try hard to forget it. The thoughts I heard inside her mind were vile. They made me shudder, and they still do now.

She's only intent on seducing me. I'm a game to her, a game she won't give up on until she wins.

That day when she first met, I was vulnerable to her seducing. All my family members were happy in love, but I was alone, with no one to share my life with. The only thing inside me that encouraged me to resist her was the fact that I didn't feel complete around her. I still felt empty. Only after did I realise the true joy of completeness; when I met Bella.

But now, she's gone.

"There's no more free rooms left, so you can either share a room with Kate, or me", The Snake continues to pester me for an answer. _I'm sure you'll have lots of fun with Kate . . . But even more with me!_

The truth is I don't want to answer. The only thing keeping me here is Esme. She's the last person in my family I want to hurt. She'll be heartbroken if I left; I'm already a monster and I don't want to cause anyone else anymore pain.

A growl builds up in my throat as Tanya throws stray thoughts at me of what she's planning to do to me. The thought of being in a relationship with her, or even being close to her like I was with Bella makes my skin crawl.

I hate that feeling.

I hate her.

But I know even if I choose to move into Kate's room, Tanya will continue to annoy me until I give in – either way she won't leave me alone. I shoot her a death glare, knowing that I'll have to choose to stay with Tanya.

It shouldn't be too horrible. I'm only going to use her room as a space to store my clothes and CDs. I don't need to sleep; so they'll be no other reason for me to even enter her room. My other family members deserve privacy together, so staying with them is definitely out of the question.

I sigh.

"Fine, Tanya, you win", I look at her, my eyes filled with regret for what I'm about to say, "I'll stay in your room".

_You won't regret your decision! I knew you couldn't resist me Edward Cullen! We're going to have so much fun together!_

I snort. Fun is definitely not what we're going to be having.

* * *

**A/n – I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! :)**


	14. Chapter 12 – Family Fun

**A/n - Discalimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does! **

**Please, please, please review once you've read this story - even if it's just the first chapter! Reviews make my day! I love hearing what you think about my story! :)**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve - Family Fun**

"It's going to snow today! We're going to have a snowball fight!" Alice squeals with delight as she bounds down the stairs dressed in the latest woolly snow outfit.

I sigh, knowing that she doesn't even need to wear it. A vampire could easily survive out in the snow for years on end without any clothes on. But, Alice always feels the need to go over the top about everything.

_What?_ Alice looks at me, wondering why I'm staring at her weirdly. _Oh, you think this is too much? _She laughs slightly as a big grin appears across her face. The image of another woolly winter outfit, but for a male instead pops into her mind.

God help me . . . I groan loudly knowing that she's planning to dress me up in something so terrible I can't bear to think about it.

"Over my dead body", I counter, backing away from her slowly over to the back door.

The rest of my family clamber down the stairs in ridiculous winter outfits too, and I have to cover my mouth with my hand to choke back a hysterical laugh. It's obvious that they've all been dressed by Alice. I can't help but feel sorry for them.

Jasper stares at me with pain in his eyes and I push my hand tighter against my mouth knowing that if I let go, even for a second I won't be responsible for my actions. _Don't think Alice is letting you off the hook either._ Jasper growls and nods at Emmett.

On Jasper's signal Emmett launches himself in the air heading straight for me. I don't panic, but just step to the side innocently out of harms way, causing Emmett to slam straight into the wall. It doesn't hurt him, but all the same he rolls on the floor clutching his head as if he feels pain.

Carmen, Eleazar, and Kate are downstairs instantly, wondering what the commotion is about. I look up from Emmett only to find they're all identically dressed as well, and I swallow another laugh. I can tell they're already regretting opening our homes up to us. We're a nightmare; especially Alice.

Jasper - who is desperate not to allow me to be the only one to escape Alice's fashion war - fires himself at me, armed with a woolly hat and jumper. I let out a slight screech as we crumple to the floor in a heap. He scrambles around the floor for his weapons, and forces the jumper over my head. I struggle under him, but none of my attempts at escaping seem to be working.

Giving in, I lay still on the ground as Jasper pushes my arms through the holes and jams the hat down onto my head. _Ah! You look perfect Edward! Just like the rest of us!_ Content with his work, he returns to Alice's side, who gives him the thumbs up approval. I crawl over to the mirror, and nearly die when I see my appearance.

I look absolutely hideous. With a pink bobble hat on my head, and a woolly penguin jumper - I'm dressed in clothes that not even a five year-old would be seen dead in without throwing a temper tantrum first. _What? You don't like it?_ Alice notices my frown.

Standing up, I claw at my jumper in terror. I can't believe people wear things like this . . . Jasper glares at me for attempting to ruin his wife's creations, as I tear the jumper with my teeth and happily throw the hat out the window. Alice looks like she's about to break down in sadness, and as the last of the jumper falls the floor, she lets out a quiet yelp. Then, without warning Jasper loses it. Again.

_Stop it Edward! You're ruining it! Alice thought you'd like them!_ He growls and races over to me again. This time, I'm fully prepared for his actions, so I jump over Carmen and Eleazar onto the stairs behind them. Wasting no more time, I sprint up the stairs, skipping nearly four steps at a time, and head for Tanya's - or should I say - our room.

"Tanya!" I yell and bang on the door furiously, "Let me in!"

Not wanting to wear the outfit again, I continue to bang on her door as Jasper races towards me through the hallway. He out stretches his hand ready to grab my neck, but just at the last minute Tanya pulls me inside the door. I breathe out a huge sigh of relief, and lock the door tightly behind me.

Gazing up at Tanya, I notice that she's only in a towel. I gulp. My eyes rise up to her face, and I feel relieved again, as I notice her hair is wet. She's just come out of the shower. She wasn't expecting me; she's not planning anything. At least, I think she isn't . . .

"Don't look so worried", she laughs and re-enters her en-suite bathroom.

Seconds later she reappears dressed in Alice's choice of clothes, just like everyone else. I sigh. Nobody can escape Alice, no matter how hard they try. But, I'm going to try. _What can I say? It looks adorable. Look at the little penguin_. She points at it and laughs slightly.

I feel a smile creeping up, but I scold myself and leave my expression as a frown. I can't let Tanya think I'm falling for her. If she gets the wrong impression - like she did before - she'll never leave me alone. Bella is the only girl for me, but I don't think I'm the only boy for her anymore. She's probably moved on from me already. I don't blame her for doing so.

"Fine!" Jasper spits out from behind the door, "You win"._ You don't have to wear any of Alice's clothes._

This time I allow myself to smile properly. I open the door to Jasper's unhappy looking face and he holds out a pair of ear-muffs for me to take._ At least wear these . . . _I laugh, and end up putting them on anyway. I know I look embarrassing already, but this gets me off the hook about wearing the whole outfit.

"Let's go have that snowball fight then", I announce and step out onto the fresh laid snow followed by the rest of my friends as well as family.

Alice grins at me. _Thank you. I thought I wouldn't get you to wear any of it - at least you're wearing the ear-muffs! _She takes the lead, and skips forward, a large smile plastered across her face. I admire the rest of family in their matching outfits, knowing that I'm the odd one out, and I love it. Being unique is great.

"Boys Vs Girls!" Alice tells everyone, as we all obediently spread out onto separate teams.

Studying the two teams I notice that there is one extra member on the girls team. On our team, there is; Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, Eleazer, and ofcourse, me. However on the opposing team there is; Alice, Rosalie, Esme, Carmen, Kate and Tanya.

_Yeah, we have an extra member, so what? You scared you going to lose to girls? _Rosalie notices my furrowed brow and shoots me an amused glance. I ignore her, creating a note in my mind to make sure she's my first target.

"Once you're hit, you're out!" Alice confirms the only rule, "Three, two, one-".

"Go!" Emmett yells, to worked up about the game to allow her to finish.

Tanya catches my gaze as I race off to the nearest tree. _Don't think you're getting away that easily Eddie. Where are you? _Not wanting to be the first one out - especially by Tanya - I leap into the tree.

Resting on a branch, I tuck myself deeper into the tree, creating the ultimate disguise which still enables me to watch everyone below. The leaves of the tree bend down around me ensuring no snowballs can hit me.

Cautiously, I peek through a slim gap just in time to see Rosalie's snowball hit Emmett straight in the back of the head. I clutch at the branches to steady myself as I laugh, knowing if I let go, I'll risk being seen.

Rosalie chokes in a laugh with her back to me. _Ow, geez Rose, twice in one day. _Emmett's comment causes the laughter inside me to grow, but I continue to shut it inside knowing it could easily blow my cover.

With my target occupied, I scoop up a handful of snow from the leaves and mold it into a slightly round snowball shape. As my hand slowly emerges from the cluster of tree branches and leaves, I keep my eyes fixed on Rosalie, watching for any sudden movements. I can't let her see me, she'll tell everyone where I'm hiding.

A small laugh escapes my lips. I've never known a snowball fight to be so intense.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I throw the snowball - with much more force than is needed - at her and slide my hand in as soon as I release it. I watch as it hits my target successfully, causing her to slam head first into the snow in shock. I clamp my hand fiercely around my mouth, deciding that this is where it will have to stay for the remainder of the game.

_I'm going to kill whoever did that!_ Rosalie jerks her body up, and twists around to face me, only I know she can't see me. Yet. She looks furious. I feel sorry for anyone who gets in the way of her. Fuming, Rosalie reluctantly leaves the snowball arena, and heads inside with Emmett - acting as her lapdog - following closely behind, not wanting to upset her anymore than she already is.

I raise my eyebrows. Emmett always acts tough, but Rosalie is the only person who can make him feel weak and insecure. Laughing quietly, I scan the rest of the field, searching for anymore unlucky snowball victims. In the corner of my eye, I noticed Carmen, Eleazar, Carlisle and Esme, huddled together in a group, laughing and skipping happily out of harms way.

It's obvious that none of them were looking forward to competing in the snowball tournament. I know for a fact that having fun, in this sort of way, isn't really Esme or Carlisle's sort of thing - but I don't know if Carmen and Eleazar are the same. Most likely they are. My guess is that they surrendered to each other purposely - which meant they could easily get themselves hit by a snowball.

Now, there are only a few of us left in the game - three on the girl's team, but only two left on the boy's team, which includes myself. Feeling comfortable in the tree, I swivel around to face behind me, just in case there's some action taking place over here which I've missed.

Personally, I'm surprised Alice hasn't realised where I am yet - with all her visions, she's bound to know I'm here. Maybe, she's waiting for the right time - a time when I'm not focusing on my surroundings, so the snowball will come at a shock to me. She's probably saving my hit for the end of the game, when only us, and another girl are left still playing - the grand finale.

As my eyes drop to stare at the ground, I see my only surviving teammate; Jasper, surrounded by all three of the girls; Tanya, Kate and Alice. _Edward, I don't know where you are, but if you're watching, as you can see I need a bit of help here!_ Eager to humiliate Jasper for the fun of it, Alice shapes a snowball into a perfectly round sphere and hurls it at Jasper.

Knowing what's coming, he ducks to the floor, but the snowball continues to soar through the air, despite missing his target. Kate, who's distracted by her sister's talking, only notices the weapon at the last minute, but even then, it's too late. It smashes into her face, and she drops to the floor, squealing with laughter. _Come on Tanya! Avenge my falling! Hit Jasper! We have to win this!_

Jasper, feeling safer now, twists to join in on the laughter about Kate's fall, but doesn't notice Alice creating another snowball behind him. As it leaves her hand, I leap out of my safe tree in an instant, knowing I have to protect my fellow teammate.

"Jasper look out!" I yell, causing Tanya and Alice's heads to flick over to where I'm standing.

Despite my warnings, Jasper gets hit in the face with the snowball, exactly the same way as Kate did. I let out a slight laugh as dive behind the tree, knowing that Tanya and Alice will stop at nothing until they pound me with snowballs. I peek out behind the tree and find them engaged in deep conversation. They're discussing tactics - now I'm definitely worried.

I have to win - for the boys.

With my mind set on winning I dig through the snow until I create a whole deep enough. I check back in on Tanya and Alice, fortunately finding they're still talking, then I make my move. I slide under the snow and crouch inside it. I jam my nails into the snow walls around me causing a mini-avalanche to occur, resulting in fully covering me in a blanket of fresh snow.

Taking full advantage of my super speed, I continue to dig a tunnel under the snow, hoping that nobody will walk over my masterpiece since it will most likely collapse. My fingers begin to ache slightly, so I take a rest for a moment or two and think about my amazing plan. This is the only mode of escaping them which ensures they won't see me, and means I can get as far away of them as possible, then surprise attack them when they least expect it.

Imagining their shocked faces, I laugh and resume my digging from where I last left off. Completing this at super speed could only mean I've travelled at least half a mile already, maybe even more if I'm lucky. Mission Tunnel Surprise Attack is a go!

Unexpectedly, my head slams into a hard surface. At first I think it's a tree, but as I attempt to swerve around it, the object - whatever or whoever it is - moves to the side and blocks my path for the second time. I attempt to shove it out of the way, secretly wishing it's not one of the girls and just an animal, but again it still won't budge.

Feeling rather annoyed I move my eyes up to look at the surface above me. However, all that's visible to me, is a thin ray of light which is just about able to seep through the snow. Averting to another plan, I scrape away the snow around the object, only to find it's a pair of shoes. I attempt to remember back to what Alice was wearing, a blue and pink woolly hat, a faded pink jumper with a penguin on, black boots-

But wait. These shoes are brown.

_Yes Edward. Congratulations you found my feet. _Tanya's thoughts startle me, causing me to jump slightly and shatter my snow roof above. Damn it. Slowly, I lift my head up to discover Tanya smiling at me sweetly. I search my surroundings and Alice is no where to be seen. For a second I wonder if Tanya is here to help me, but I quickly scold myself. She's deceiving remember!

Tanya scoops up a snowball and holds it above my head ready to fire. _You're going down Edward._ I snort at her comment knowing that there is no way I'm going to allow her to win. I can't let Jasper down - who technically died fighting for our team. For the first three-quarters of the game I sat back watching without putting myself in the place of danger, but now it's my time to shine.

Goodbye Mr Nice guy, and hello Mr Bad guy.

"Oh, I think you're going down instead", I snarl and wrestle Tanya to the floor.

She puts up a fight, but eventually I manage to pin her to the floor; defenceless, unprotected and now unarmed with her weapons. I really hate to admit it, but she's not _that_ terrible at fighting, although I'm better - if I do say so myself. Once I pound Tanya with her much deserved snowballs it's only Alice who'll be left, and that's when the real fighting will begin - she won't give up for anything.

Tanya stares into my eyes and stops moving. She leans her head up to me, and crushes her lips against mine. And for some strange reason, I don't pull away. The kiss becomes hungrier, and then out of the blue, something cold smashes against my head.

I roll off of Tanya in shock, unlocking our lips from each other, only to discover that someone has thrown a snowball at me. Knowing it can only be down to Alice, I search the trees until she leaps out from behind one triumphantly. She punches the air - like Emmett does during a victory, and happily helps Tanya up from the ground, who is grinning madly as well.

That's when I realise I've been tricked. The kiss was part of their plan all along to distract me long enough so Alice could secretly attack me with snowballs. All the same, I find it hard to believe my theory. The kiss felt so real, like she meant it - but it definitely wasn't.

Or was it?

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**A/n - Please review! I hope you enjoyed it! :)**


	15. Chapter 13 – The Girl

**A/n – Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does! **

**Two more reviews till one hundred! YAY!**

**Remember the LITTLE girl Edward KILLED…?**

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**Chapter Thirteen – The Girl**

Tanya and Alice exchange ecstatic glances. _What, you upset you lost to a girl? Two girls for that matter . . . _A laugh follows Tanya's thoughts. Just like kissing Rosalie, my family are never going to allow me to forget about this. I was sure as anything that I was going to win, but at the last moment, I lost. Feeling shameful, I bring my hand up to my face. Oh the irony.

"Aww, does little Eddie-ward feel tricked?" Tanya snickers, her lips forming a giant smile. _But I have to admit, that kiss was awesome . . . Even if it was fake._

A growl lingers at the bottom of my throat, but I swallow it. If Tanya knows I'm annoyed, it will just make her games even funnier for her, but even worse for me. Instead, I crawl to my feet and lunge for her, my teeth bared ready to bite her. I can already feel Esme's disapproving gaze at the back of my head, but I decide I don't care. Not this time.

"I've had enough of you and your games!" I snarl and shove her to the floor, my eyes burning with fire. _Edward! What are you doing!? Get off of me!_

A number of worried thoughts from Tanya pound at my head, but I ignore them. She attempts to wriggle free of my grip like she successfully managed to last time, but now I'm fully prepared for her tricks. One of her hands slip out of my grip and using it she tears at my hair, until I pin it back into the snow.

"Edward! Leave it!" Emmett tugs at my shirt, in an attempt to get my attention, but I ignore him, too caught up in making Tanya pay for her games. "Edward!" He roars. _I said leave it Edward! Hold your anger in!_

I know Emmett is right, only I can't help but not listen to his orders. Tanya has messed me around since day one. All she wants is me. She'll carry on seducing me until I eventually give in, and then, she'll leave me. I'll be free. But not completely. I'll be left with a memory of her. A memory of how she seduced me.

And I know from experience that it will never leave my mind. She's always there. Constantly popping up in my head when I feel down. She's always there to remind me about what she tried to do when we first met. The only way to get rid of the memories is to fill them with others.

That's what I did. With Bella. But now that she's gone. Most of my memories of her have faded, and now, whenever I close my eyes, I no longer see Bella anymore, I see her. Tanya. The snake. She never crosses my mind; because the truth is – although I hate to admit it – she never actually leaves my mind.

However, it's not love I feel for her. It's the complete opposite. It's hate I feel. I hate her. She makes my skin crawl every time I'm near her. It's worse having to share a room with her. I only store my clothes and belongings there, but whenever I have to dress for the next day, she's always there. Watching me with her dagger eyes that penetrate deep into my flesh. Not that I have flesh anymore, it's more like stone.

But even the strongest of people have moments of weakness.

"Edward!" Emmett's fierce, but persistent voice bursts my thought bubble. _Don't ignore me!_

Startled, my grip on Tanya softens, as I drop to the floor just as she squirms free and rolls away from me to safety. She brushes herself down, removing the clumps of snow attached to her penguin jumper, as Emmett grabs my shoulders, a look of concern in his eyes. He shakes me violently, as if he's trying to shake some sense into me and the expressions on my family as well as friends faces, instantly drop to a frown.

They've never seen me like this. In fact nobody has seen me like this before. The harsh reality of what I've just done sinks in. I haven't even seen myself like this before. I'm a monster. Not just to humans, but now to my own species. Even my own family think I'm a monster; I don't need their thoughts to tell me that. Their horror stricken faces tell me everything I need to know, but I can't resist listening to them.

_I saw it coming, but I didn't think you were actually going to go through with it Edward!_

_This isn't like you…_

_Wow Edward, here's another thing to add to your list of mistakes! Not so perfect now huh? _

_Edward! What were you thinking? You could have killed her! I'm very disappointed in you!_

I shut my brain off after Esme's thoughts are finished. I can't bear it. She always makes me feel guilty for what I've done. Always. It's her motherly instincts. She's only trying to look out for me and show she cares, but when she does, I feel terrible for what I've done. I'm a disappointment to her. A complete failure. She deserves a better son.

My family step further away from me, all worried if I'll lash out at them as well. They see Tanya for what she isn't; a sweet, caring girl, but I see her for what she really is; a horrible, manipulative snake. If they saw her how I did, they wouldn't see a problem in my previous actions. They would understand me.

Esme breaks through the circle of vampires surrounding me, and crouches down in the snow, a heartbroken look plastered across her face. Even just looking at her brings on more guilt. But, at least she bothers to take my feelings into consideration. She's the only person who hasn't disowned me yet. She's the only one who cares.

"Edward darling", Esme whispers quietly, only loud enough for me to hear what she's saying, but for everyone else to hear it as a faint buzzing noise, "Are you ok? Do you want to leave, go home even?" She asks, as she strokes my cheek comfortingly. _Edward, you know you can tell me anything. What has Tanya done to make you lash out at her like that?_

"Don't worry, Esme", I mumble, too ashamed of myself to even look her in the eye properly.

Esme rises to her feet, satisfied with my answer and I mirror her actions. As I step forward in an attempt to exit the circle, Emmett and Jasper stand in front of their wives protectively, both thinking the same thing. _Just thought we'd take a little precaution, just in case you decide to attack another innocent woman today. _The rage inside me begins to build up again, but Esme relaxes it by squeezing my hand lovingly.

Not caring what my family think of me anymore, I shove my way past them, abandoning Esme in the middle of the circle. She sniffles slightly. If she could still cry, there's no doubt that she would be. Noticing her change in emotion, Carlisle wraps an arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her, but I can tell that she's too upset to notice; she doesn't even flinch at his touch.

As I study the faces of my family, I realise that this is hurting them, more than it's hurting me. I try to face the facts. As long as I'm here, my family are going to be miserable, especially Esme. It's tearing her and everyone apart. I can't just sit back and watch them get hurt now I know that it's all my fault. They'd be better off without me here.

Sighing, I agree with myself silently. I stare at my family. Yes. I have to do this. I've already caused them too much pain. Gulping, I pivot around on my foot and race off into the forest, without a second glance back. Even though I can hear their voices still screaming at me, I ignore them and although everything inside me convinces me to return, I stay strong.

I continue on my journey – my heart aching the further I venture into the forest. I twist into a backwards run, and just as I suspected nobody is following me. In a way, it's a positive thing; at least no one is here to talk me out of my decision, but maybe nobody wanted to come. Maybe everyone hates me.

A rustle of twigs snaps me back to reality. The inviting scent of humans lures me in deeper as my thirst begins to control my mind, turning me towards the direction of food. The monster inside me hungers for the taste of human blood, and again, I listen to it. The death of the girl before hasn't changed my opinion on killing humans…

My wandering eyes freeze over a girl around the age of sixteen, travelling alone in the woods. The monster laughs. _She'll wish she came with someone else after I drain her dry . . ._ As I approach my snack cautiously, not wanting her to notice me until the last second, her scent catches my nose.

But she doesn't smell like a human. She smells like a vampire.

_No! _The monster snarls inside of me. _Your mind is playing tricks on you! He doesn't want you to have any fun so he's confusing the scents! Just bite her! _The devil continues to shout at me, giving the angel no chance to put his case forward. I'm already set on listening to the devil; nothing is going to stop me from drinking her sweet blood.

I prowl through the grass, like a lion sneaking up on his prey, as the girl continues through the forest like a stupid lamb – completely unaware of what her fate holds. The monster continues to shove me closer towards the helpless human, and then, I decide I can't bear it anymore. I pounce.

Launching myself into the air, I bare my teeth as the venom builds up in my mouth. As I land successfully on my victim, I lift my head into the air ready to sink my teeth in, only to find the girl is gone, and in her place is a wild deer. The deer's antlers bash into my face and it wriggles free from my grip, bounding away to a much safer distance.

Feeling confused, I search around for the girl, but she's nowhere to be seen. My head throbs from where the deer hit me, and I rub it soothingly with my hand. In a matter of minutes the pain eases, and I return to my normal active self.

But the girl still isn't there.

My gaze twists to study the deer. It hasn't left the forest like most animals would; it's still there in the exact same spot. I don't find that the weirdest part about what's just happened. The weirdest part is; how did the deer swap positions with the girl in the first place? And where has my meal gone?

Not wanting the let the deer out of my sight, I keep my eyes fixed on the deer. Then, without warning, the deer transforms into the same girl who I thought I caught. The same girl who didn't smell like a human, even though she looked like one. I stare at her pale complexion. That's when the truth dawns on me.

She's a vampire.

But how?

"You, the deer, what?" I stutter out four words jumbled together and the girl glares back at me, a confused expression across her face as if I'm the weird one here; I didn't just transform into a deer for cry's sake.

"Edward", The girl addresses me formally as she edges closer to me, a smirk forming across her face.

Whoa. She knows my name? Who even is she? I attempt to listen in on her thoughts, but I can't hear anything. _That's even weirder . . ._ I think, not understanding anything that is going on. A girl. Who I thought was human but is actually a vampire. Changed into a deer before my very eyes. None of this makes sense.

"Oh, you don't remember me in this form?" She circles me watching me intently like a hawk, "How about now?" A grin appears on her face from ear to ear.

She snaps her fingers and I watch in awe as she shrinks and transforms into a girl. The girl I thought I killed in the forest. No. This can't be happening. I'm imagining it. I bash my head on the ground, trying to knock some sense into myself. I refuse to believe everything I'm seeing. It's not possible . . . Or is it?

"Ah, you remember me now, don't you?" She freezes in her position in front of me, her eyes fixated on me, "You're the vampire, who murdered my father, aren't you?" She glares at me, "And you're also the vampire who killed me, yet I'm still here, explain that".

Still staring at me, the girl gracefully drops to the floor beside me as she clicks her fingers again, resulting in changing her back to her former self; a sixteen year old. I gulp. I can't help being frightened. There's no way this can be real.

"I must have left some blood inside you", I admit, "And you changed into a vampire", A smile widens across the girl's face as I finish my sentence.

"Maybe, Edward", She pronounces my name fluently, emphasizing the _d_ at the end of name, "You're smart, I figured, yet even you don't have an explanation for this", She clicks her fingers again, still watching me.

Again, she transforms into the girl I thought I killed, and after another snap of her fingers, she changes into an owl. She flies up to perch on the highest branch of the tree, and with a flap of her wing, she changes back into her normal self again, yet she still stays balanced on the branch above me.

"Now, Edward, how did you think I did that?" She fires another question at me; another one which I know I can't answer, despite my knowledge of things that even humans are unable to figure out.

She flips forward on the branch, letting go of it as she turns upside down. As she falls to the floor, I contemplate on whether or not to help her, but I decide against it. She's just a figment of my imagination. Right? And, a vampire wouldn't die from a height that I wouldn't even consider tall. Either way she's going to live. Because this isn't real.

Just to test my theory, I watch her motionless, as she descends to the floor. I step back, not really wanting to break her fall for her and crush some bones in the process – even if she isn't real. Just as she's inches away from the floor, she claps her hands together, and in the nick of time, she transforms into a cat that lands perfectly on all fours.

Astonished, I don't say anything. She's real. Definitely.

Her eyes narrow. My breathing quickens, even though I don't need to. She clicks her fingers. I back away. And she transforms into a wolf. My worst enemy. She doesn't move for a moment as I study her. She's a rusty red colour. The colour of Jacob's fur . . . The colour of my rival's fur . . . But how does she know what Jacob looks like?

Before I can question her, she races off at the speed of light. Realising what she's planning, I dash after her, intent on not allowing her to escape me for the second time this week. I know I'm faster than her, but I decide to allow her a few moments of victory, and lag behind slightly – only until I become bored.

Continuing to race through the forest, I realise that she's heading for the main road. Then it fully hits me. She knows I can't chase after her on the road; if a car swerves past me, our secret as vampires could easily be revealed. But she's safe. Once inches away from the road, she can phase into another animal.

"No!" I yell, "I won't let that happen!" I leap into the air, and jump onto her, pinning her to the ground, just like I did to Tanya earlier.

_This all seems too familiar . . ._

She thrashes beneath me, until eventually giving up, and transforming back to her old, vampire sixteen year old self. Staring up at me, she begins to laugh, and breaks free of my grip. My brow furrows and a frown appears on my face. Why is she laughing? I nearly killed her.

"You still haven't figured out how I'm able to change into a human or an animal of my choice, have you?" I shake my head in answer to her question, "Edward, it's my power".

I don't answer her. How stupid have I been? But I guess no vampire in my position would have guessed it either. A power like hers is too advanced for vampires . . . It makes her too strong. No one I know has a gift that . . . Dangerous or powerful. Even Benjamin's power to control the elements has its limits.

Her revelation causes more doubts about the reality of this situation to form in my mind.

"So, Edward, know you know my full potential, am I right in saying you'd like me to reveal how I know your name?" She interrupts my thoughts, and I nod, too shaken up about the past events to form my words properly. "They told me not to say anything; they said you'd hurt me", She smiles, "But that's not going too well. Edward, I was sent here but the Vo–".

"Sent here by who?" I interrupt her near the end of her sentence, even though I knew she was going to tell me the answer if I'd let her finish.

She breathes in deeply, stepping away from me. She holds her hand up, ready to click her fingers in case things get out of hand. I don't need her thoughts, I already know she thinks I'm going to hurt her once she reveals to me who she really is.

"Edward, I'm a spy, a Volturi spy".

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**A/n – Please review! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**All will be revealed soon about the Volturi . . . The next chapter will only give a few things away, the rest come later . . . ;) **


	16. Chapter 14 – Revelations

**A/n – Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does!**

**A special thank you to Matthias Stormcrow for being my 100****th**** reviewer! You're awesome! Lol! :D 3 **

**Also, thanks to – SnappleApple450Fan3, snow eopard, TheNightOwl13, Pink Pal and PenguinCullenFan (guest reviewer)**

**PenguinCullenFan: Thanks for your reviews! I might go back and change that part so it's clear Victoria doesn't know! :) Thanks again!**

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**Chapter Fourteen – Revelations**

"No, you can't be", my eyes widen in shock, "You should be dead! Not working for the Volturi!" I roar at her, before I can stop myself from saying it.

I'm evil. What I just told her was evil too. But the Volturi are even worse than me. I may slip up from time to time by drinking human blood instead of animal blood, but at least I feel regret and sadness as the memories come flooding back. They, on the other hand, feel no remorse for what they have done, and do every day.

They slaughter innocent humans, only caring about their own thirst. What's worse enough is that they're all taken into one room, and are forced to watch others suffer the same fate that they will have to endure soon. The worst part is knowing that there's no escape, and no matter how fast you run or how hard you try, they will always catch up with you. One way, or another.

"How can you say that?" She stares at me, anger in her eyes, "You're the one who's supposed to want to preserve human life, and look how that turned out!" She growls.

Sighing, I know that everything she has said is right. Only, I can't help but wonder how she knows all of this, how much did Aro tell her? But that's beside the point . . . Why would I say something like that? No human deserves to die before their time. It's unfair. When their time is up, they will leave, peacefully.

Carlisle taught me that vampires and humans can live together in peace, but now, I've ruined everything. Everything I've ever worked towards; trying never to kill a human again, is gone. Forever. After my rebellious stage, back when I was a newborn, I promised myself I would never kill another human again – not that this girl counts, since she's still alive – but I've not only broken promises to Bella now, but also to myself.

"For few to be immortal, many must die", a look of pure horror appears on her face as I finish speaking the last word.

It's true though, despite what she thinks. Not everyone can live forever. If we could, where would we put everyone? If no one dies, they wouldn't be enough room on earth. That's why there aren't that many vampires in the world . . . And that's why people die.

"How can you say that?" She stares at me, waiting for an answer, but I disappoint her by not responding, "I'd rather be dead than let more people suffer".

Her answer is genuine. I can tell by her eyes. But if she'd rather be dead, then why is she a vampire? Why didn't she just allow the Volturi to kill her in the first place? And why did she listen to them? Questions swirl around in my head, only I know I can't answer them. Nothing makes sense. Not anymore.

"Why didn't you just allow the Volturi to kill you?" I fire a question at her, even though she seems upset slightly, "If you'd rather be dead, as you said".

"They gave me an offer I couldn't refuse", she looks up and locks eye contact with me, "An offer for revenge".

My body tenses up. Revenge. Revenge? Revenge for what? I ask myself more confusing questions. The monster inside me laughs at me._ She wants revenge on you idiot. For killing her dad. Now let's rip her head off before she has the chance to attack you!_ I growl and shake my head, banishing the monster from my mind.

The first part is right. Maybe. She does want revenge on me. Why else would she be sent to find me? But the second part, I disagree with. I'm not going to cause her anymore pain. I've killed her father, and I'm not going to kill her. Again.

"You want me to tell you everything, don't you?" A smile forms on my face – even though I know this isn't the time to be smiling – and I nod, hoping she won't back out of it now, "From the beginning, it's quite long, and I don't think you'd like to hea–". I shoot her a warning glare, not wanting her to wriggle out of explaining the story, as she freezes in the middle of her sentence.

She breathes in slightly, for the first time since I've spoken to her. We don't need to breathe, but it's clear now she only does it when she's worried. And now is the time to be worried. Worried of me – only part of me though; the monster – I'm unpredictable, some days I feed from animals . . . While other days . . . I'd rather forget.

"You killed my father and th–".

"Yeah, no need to rub the guilt in further", I interrupt her another time.

This is just her way of making me feel guilty for what I've done. I am guilty. I regret it every day, but you can't change the past – nobody can – but if I could, there would be an endless list of things I would do differently if I got the chance to put them right.

"Do you want to hear the story or not?" She snaps at me, "You're lucky you're not dead", a weak laugh escapes her mouth, "At least not yet anyway".

Wait, what? I open my mouth to protest but she presses a finger to my lips, as she creates a faint _'shh'_ noise. She's planning to kill me? The Volturi want me dead? I thought they just wanted me to join them . . . This situation is becoming more confusing every second.

"You killed my father, and then, realising that it would be so cruel to leave me alive, you killed me too", I raise my eyebrows at her sarcasm.

How can she still make a joke at a time like this? She's discussing a sensitive matter . . . With someone she doesn't know, even though she seems to know a lot about me already. I run my hands through my hair soothingly, in an attempt to make sense of her feelings. I snort. Seems like death didn't take away her humorous side . . .

"Well, you thought you killed me. Turns out you were also wrong about that. You left me for dead, with some blood still left inside me, _therefore allowing the transformation process to occur_", she pauses for a moment, giving me time to digest the new information, as she notices the frown forming across my face, "Aro's words, not mine", she grins.

But for some reason I don't return the smile. Anyone who's made an alliance with Aro, or even talked to him is dangerous. Only, I do find it hard to believe that an almost thirteen year old girl, who appears in the form of a sixteen year old from time to time, is _that_ dangerous, even if she does happen to hold a grudge against me, and wants to kill me for murdering her father. Nope, definitely normal.

"They were watching you, the Volturi, they saw you kill me, and th–"

"Wait", I interrupt her another time, "The Volturi were there, watching me?"

Confused thoughts swirl around in my mind. They were watching me. My vision blurs slightly and my head begins to thump, trying to piece everything together. What did the Volturi want with me? As far as I'm concerned, I haven't broken any rules – the Volturi kill humans all the time.

But, if it's not about breaking the rules, then I don't know why they're after me. I've already refused their offers about joining them already, Aro knows I'll never give in, yet he keeps trying . . . _No._ The truth comes to me instantly. Bella. They've found out about Bella. _No, no, no!_

I refuse to believe it, even though I know it's the only other valid explanation for why they're after me. If it's true, I still don't understand how they could have found out about it. No other vampires who would report us, knows that Bella is aware of our existence . . . James is dead, but . . . Victoria and Laurent.

They're not dead.

"Yeah", she confirms, her eyes sparkling with mischief, "They didn't tell me why they were watching you, but one of the members sort of _checked me out_, to see if I was dead. I heard their voices, only, I couldn't see anything but red. There was pain, a lot of pain, like I'd been thrown into a pit of fire, and they were watching me as the flames engulfed me", she shudders at the memory.

Watching her, I begin to feel terrible for what I've done. I want to reach out and tell her everything is going to be alright, but I can't, because I'd be lying. I shouldn't have taken away her life, but even worse now, I've turned her into a monster. And although it's horrible to say it; the truth is she's better off dead.

_Wow. I'm glad she can't read my thoughts. _

"Soon after the pain stopped, it froze, and I could see again. Everything was perfect, in high definition. Too perfect, that at first I thought I was dead", her smile softens slightly, "Oh, how I was wrong. So wrong. The truth hit me in the face as soon as _he_ walked in. I knew instantly that I couldn't be in heaven – he looked more like the devil than anything else".

She stops as I raise my hand in the air, ready to speak, but not wanting to annoy her again by interrupting her. She could definitely kill me in an instant. With her shape-shifting ability, I guess she could even transform into a vampire six times the size of me and finish me. For now, I'll try to keep her sweet.

"How long did the transformation last?"

"Aro said at least a couple of hours", she responds calmly.

Something inside of me fights the urge to keep a straight face. A couple of hours? No, that can't be right. The shortest time anyone has ever been in the transformation process was at least two days, even three, but a couple of hours . . . It can't be possible.

"No, that's not right, it should have been longer!" I raise my voice, as my eyebrows furrow with confusion.

She jumps after I finish my sentence, obviously startled by my sudden raise in voice, and I bring my hand up to flatten my out-of-control hairstyle, causing her to flinch slightly. I shoot her a worried look, as she shuffles away from me.

My heart throbs. She has the same look on her face as my family did when I attacked Rosalie. They all think I'm a monster – even someone I barely know. I groan, knowing I'll have to make it up to them soon. Running away won't fix my problems, but at least it will help put it off the awkward apology I owe them.

I don't think they will ever properly forgive me. I wouldn't if I were in their situation. Esme will definitely be by my side every day from now on – if I return that is – making sure I'm content with life, and that I won't have another one of my . . . Angry episodes. It's not like I'm able to go to a psychiatrist or an anger management group.

But, I have to learn to control my anger around Tanya. What if I kicked off in a public place? I can already see the headlines now;

**Psycho pale-boy attacks a beautiful woman; in his defence, she said sparkling boy vampires are gay. **

**17 year-old held in a juvenile detention centre for teens; says he's 145 and shouldn't be here.**

**Last night, a man was seen sucking blood from confused shoppers in Port Angeles, claims he's a vampire. **

No, I reassure myself, that's not going to happen.

"Are you going to quit interrupting me?" She growls, as I respond with a simple nod, "Aro had taken me to Volterra castle, of course, and when I woke, he was there. He knew I was angry, he had watched everything again using his mind reader power", she pauses for a second, "Which is very similar to yours".

"He gave me two choices, and frankly, now, I wish I'd gone with the other choice", she sighs, "He said he would kill me right here, right now, or . . ."

She freezes in the middle of her sentence, as if she's trying to think about how to word the next part. I'm unable to get over what she just told me. She wishes she'd gone with the other choice; death. It pains me to know that we're similar.

We were both thrown into a life of immortality, yet we'd rather be dead. If I had a choice now, I would trade a normal human life for my life as a vampire now in a heartbeat – not that my heart beats anymore.

"Or, I could get revenge, revenge on you for killing my father", she picks up from where she paused a minute ago, "He knew I was hurting, and he found me at a time when I was vulnerable, so I said yes. My goal was to–".

Again, she pauses, as if there's someone speaking to her through an earpiece, and she's waiting for them to tell her what to say next. But, I ignore the fact. I'm going to be dead soon. At least, that's what I think she's planning to do, so nothing really matters anymore. I just wish I had to time to say goodbye to my family.

"It doesn't matter what my goal is", she looks upset, genuinely sorry for me – like she feels bad for wanting to kill me, "All I know is that you're time will be up, soon".

"Wait", I hold my hands up to her, thinking she's going to kill me any moment now, "At least answer two of my questions?" I plead.

As she thinks through my wish, she doesn't move from her position for at least a minute or two, and something in the back of my mind prays she says yes. If I can hold her off a few more minutes, then maybe in that time I can form a plan. I don't want to die. Not again.

"Fine".

Luckily, she gives in. In my head I scream for joy. Maybe I'll be able to escape death for the second time in a lifetime. They say cats have nine lives; I wonder if the same applies for vampires, and maybe the certain human – Bella –? She's definitely escaped death more than once with her being a magnet to accidents . . .

_No. Stop thinking about Bella! Be strong. _

"How old are you? Honestly."

"Thirteen", she says, but I don't respond, hoping that she'll tell me why she looks like a sixteen year old instead and to my delight, she does, "My power allows me to appear at any age I want; I was thirteen when you killed me but since I'm stuck this age forever – thanks to you – I like to mix and match between ages", she laughs slightly, "It's not as easy as you think to travel places with humans questioning the whereabouts of my parents".

For some reason I find myself laughing too. She's similar to Jane and Alec. Forever stuck at thirteen. I sigh. I thought my life was horrible, but I honestly don't think I could survive at thirteen forever like her. It would be horrible knowing that you'd never become an adult . . .

"Now for question two . . . Since you know my name – and a lot more about me than you actually should – could you tell me your name too?" I stare at her, trying to make her feel awkward so I can push the answer out of her.

"Bella, Isabella".

My heart cracks in half. Bella. Her name is Bella. _Of all the possible names, she had to be called Bella!_ I clutch at my heart as it bleeds in pain. All the memories – I've tried desperately to forget about – involving Bella fill my mind, as I drop to the floor in agony. No, this can't be happening . . .

Filled with sorrow, I stare up at . . . Her, but she doesn't seem to care. I shake my head, no, why would she care anyway? She must hate me. Feeling sorry for me is the last thing I expect her to be doing right now. I'm sure she has other plans.

"One more question, how do you know so much about me?" I tilt my head to the side in confusion, as I swallow the pain I'm feeling for Bella, "Did Aro tell you?"

The answer I'm hoping to hear from her doesn't come. Instead, silence follows my question.

"I – um, Edward", she sighs, "I'm done talking, they're here now, I've distracted you long enough".

"Who's here?" I shake her, pestering her for an answer, "Bella? Who's here?"

She doesn't answer me – not that it comes as a shock to me. She isn't exactly the talkative of people. Death may have left her with humour, but her ability to socialize properly and continue to stay focused during a conversation has definitely vanished. Not that I'm one to know – since my first encounter with her didn't exactly go smoothly . . .

"Bella", a voice from the shadows snarls, "Well done, you can go now, you've done your job, and kept him waiting for as long as I needed".

* * *

**A/n – Sorry for the cliff hanger! :)**

**Can you think of any more headlines if Edward were to attack Tanya in a public place? Make them funny please! :P Thanks for reading and please review!**


	17. Note

**Hey guys! This isn't a chapter!**

**I've just recently started back up at school (*bored & crying face*) And I've been over-loaded with homework (literally) & I haven't had any time to write... But I'll be back to writing VERY soon!**

**I just wanted to let you know I wasn't abandoning this story!**

**Please don't comment on this chapter thingy because I'll be replacing it with the proper chapter soon!**

**If you have any questions just PM me! **

**Love you guys!**

_**~ Penguin x**_


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